The Road to Hell
by VivaGrazia
Summary: "It's about you giving me a chance." In which Ward blackmails Skye into coming to spend a week with him.
1. Cage Bars

**A/n: **

**Edit: I changed the title because even though I like the quote it came from it was a bit of a mouthful. And this one comes from a possibly more relevant quote anyway.**

In this story Ward is not the best guy, but probably on the same level as what he's done on the show. We do get into his psyche a bit to see why he does these things. Whether you think his actions are understandable or redeemable based on this introspective… well, that's up to you. But I really don't think anyone would say what he's doing is ok. Cause ya know. Blackmail is illegal and stuff.

This takes place basically right after Skye's powers are revealed to the team and before Hunter gets kidnapped by Mack. (We're just gonna pretend this is a much larger time gap than is inferred between those things.) I started writing this just after 2x12.

**Dear Skyeward shippers…** please understand that this is not a fluffy piece. Though Ward has his reasons, they will not be together in the end. I think he has good intentions, but even though he is trying very hard he clearly doesn't make the right decisions. If this bother you and you know you will not like it, don't read. If you think you could possibly like it and end up not, please don't flame.

**(Small trigger warning in end notes)**

**WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE AHEAD! **

* * *

**Chapter One**

**I can show you how the world glimmers and gleams (just look out through the cage bars)**

**DAY ONE  
**

"Reservation for two."

"Name?"

"Should be under Ward."

The host pressed a single button on the keyboard. "Yes, here it is. Would you like me to take your coat, miss?"

Skye hugged the heavy jacket closer to her body. "No thank you."

"Skye. It's warm in here. You should give it to him."

"I don't want to."

"That's a fur coat, you're going to be hot."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten me a pelt of dead animals to wear, _dear_," she sneered, and he grimaced.

She wasn't even trying to comply with the terms. He supposed that was just her. Skye always needed a few reminders before she realized sometimes it was best to listen to authority.

"She's fine," Ward told the man. "But you can take mine."

"Of course sir," he said simply, ignoring the strange spat between the two and doing just as he said he would. "This way, please."

He sat them near a large window that acted as the wall on that side of the restaurant, giving the couple a complete view of London outside. Just near the river.

The host left them to look at their menus, and Skye held hers up to her face immediately.

"Skye," Ward said. She didn't bring the menu down. He repeated, his tone less friendly. "_Skye."_

She slapped the menu to the table immediately, nearly knocking over the empty wine glass.

"What."

"You have to lose this attitude. What did I tell you?"

She wasn't looking at him. Not really. Stared right passed his face.

"Act natural," she said, wearing dead eyes.

"Right."

"I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. Couples fight."

"We don't want to cause a scene."

She scoffed. "Oh, of course we wouldn't," she mocked. "And what about you? You used your real name."

"It's not about raising suspicion, Skye."

Her eyebrow rose. "Really. What's it about, then?"

He sighed. "It's about you giving me a chance. You'll never be able to see who I really am if you keep that "determined to be resentful" mask on."

"It's not a mask Ward, I'm resentful. I resent you. Completely and fully, with all my heart." She fluttered her eyebrows overly sweetly, turning the words to venom.

"Skye…" he warned. She knew his threat and he knew she was smart enough to realize when to stop pushing.

"Fine," she gritted out before donning a smile, wide and bright.

_There_ she was. She looked so much more beautiful this way than scowling. He knew it was fake now, but she just needed to give this a chance. He could make that expression light up her face on his own merit, he just knew it.

"Thank you," he said with true gratefulness. "Now keep it up. You were flawless at Providence and I'm going to expect nothing less."

"Well, there's a little more motivation when you're _playing_ someone you despise and not being obedient to him," she said, her voice perfectly even. Acting her part, but only in tone.

He couldn't help but smile at her playfulness.

"If this is going to work you'll have to get rid of those preconceptions about me."

Skye snorted on her water, bringing the glass down. "And you think I _want _this to work?"

"Of course not. You decided to hate me the moment you found out I was Hydra, and you've stuck to it. Because you're stubborn."

"Or because you're evil," she mumbled. He gave her a warning glare, but decided to let it pass. He'd show her he was understanding.

"I just want you to let your true feelings guide you. Let go of the past, and let me show you who I truly am. If you seem like you're not trying… well, you know what happens."

She pursed her lips, let out a harsh breath through the nose before answering. "Whatever. I'll play your twisted _game_. If this is the only way to prove to you and your messed up brain that I hate you, then I guess that's that."

He chuckled. "That doesn't sound you're looking at this situation with an open mind."

She smiled. Too wide with a closed mouth. "I'm sorry hun, it's just kind of hard to forget when the person across from you is a serial killer."

"You've always known I kill people," said Ward. "It's a part of being a specialist. And now you do, too."

"Bad people."

"Don't pretend you're that naïve. No one's truly innocent, or all evil. S.H.I.E.L.D. had me kill my fair share of people closer to the former, for the greater good."

"It's nothing like what you did for Hydra. To FitzSimmons. Kidnapping me…" Her voice dropped lower. "You murdered your own fucking family, War-"

"Hello, I'm so sorry about the wait," said a rather frazzled looking waitress. She didn't seem to catch a thing Skye'd been saying, breathing haggard as though she'd been rushing about. It _was_ crowded in the place. "My name's Sadie and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

Skye didn't acknowledge the waitress. She was staring down, apparently caught in her own thoughts. Ward didn't think she was trying to be defiant. And there was certainly a lot for her to think about.

"We'll just have a bottle of Chardonnay," he told her.

The girl was a short brunette, charismatic and pretty. She was a little larger than Skye, but somehow that added a youth to her face that made her seem somewhat childlike, along with her personality.

He didn't think she'd be one to overhear Skye's mishaps in the terms or be suspecting.

"Coming right up sir!" she said, and Ward flashed her a charmed smile as she walked away to disarm her a bit, just in case. He leaned his head over the table as to be heard easier by his companion.

"We're not here to talk about that," he whispered.

Her eyes never left the table. "Then what are we here to talk about."

"Well first, I'd like to apologize for the meeting with your father not going as planned."

Her dark eyes trailed up to him at that. "And how did you _expect_ for my kidnapping and meeting of a brutal murderer to go? You expect almond cookies too?"

"What? No. I expected-"

"For me to be grateful? For me to run into your arms, kiss you and forget about everything because you helped me find _daddy_?"

Well…

Something along those lines.

"You kidnapped me!" she repeated.

"You wanted to meet your father," he protested.

"How could you know that? You didn't ask me. You didn't give me a choice!"

"Because you wouldn't have come. I knew I could protect you from Hydra, but I also knew you'd never see that. You'd never believe me."

"_Protect_ me?" she seethed. "Hydra would have never gotten their hands on the plans if you hadn't taken me. Triplett is _dead _and now I'm a monster because you took me there." Her voice was raw, her throat sounding tight.

The table started to shake.

Ward knew of this. He was aware Skye'd gained powers in San Juan, though he didn't think they'd be a problem as long as he had her friends. But if they were directly tied to her emotions…

"You are not a monster," he assured her quietly, trying to ignore the people he knew were starting to stare. "But you do need to stop."

"_I can't,"_ she growled through pure rage. "It's a curse, and I can't control it."

"This was in the terms Skye."

She laughed, slightly hysterical. "Do you think that makes a difference? I can't stop it! _This_ is what you did to me!"

Alright already, enough with the blame. If she had just let him help her there wouldn't have been any problems.

This was why they needed the fresh start.

He sat up straight. "You shot me, Skye. And I couldn't protect you anymore. None of that would have happened if you would have just let me help you…" He rested a hand on her own.

The table shook harder. Skye's water fell over as a few other tables felt the rumbles as well.

She looked around, frantic and nervous before standing to leave, but he caught her arm.

"No."

"Ward, I-"

"You can stop it."

"No I literally can't. Especially not while looking at _your _fucking face."

"You have to, or I won't text my contact the code to let the mercenary live for another hour."

She ground into her lip. "Fuck. You."

"I know you can do this Skye. Just sit down, let me hel-"

"No, shut up," she snapped. He was about to reprimand her, but she did sit down. She closed her eyes, pressing hands into her temples as Ward saw her try to steady her breaths.

The chandeliers stopped shaking. People stopped panicking. It was just a small, random earthquake.

He couldn't help but grin. "Nice work, Skye," he said, sitting down.

"_Don't _compliment me," she spat. "I- It'll happen again."

"Fine." He held out his hands in surrender. "No compliments."

Skye looked tired. The powers must have been wearing her down for the worst. When Sadie brought them their wine, he poured her a glass and Skye chugged the thing right in front of him.

He then tried to keep the topics light, giving Skye an easier job of looking at the situation with fresh eyes, not bringing up a past he'd rather forget at the moment. Though eventually they'd have to speak of it again, in order for her to fully understand.

But she did well. She drank multiple glasses of the Chardonnay and was able to keep herself together. But the drink had obviously flushed her face, so he suggested again-

"Why don't you take off your coat, Skye?"

She stopped, mid-bite of her fish. "No."

"You're sweating bullets."

"I'm not taking it off, Ward. Why do you care so much?"

"I just care about your comfort."

She stared at him briefly, before huffing a chuckle. "Well if that isn't the funniest thing I've heard this whole evening…"

"What other reason would I have?"

She shrugged. "Oh I dunno. Maybe to ogle me in this Barbie doll dress you forced me into?"

He blinked at her. "You didn't have to put the dress on, Skye."

"Really? Because '_we're going somewhere formal and you need to look appropriate, here'_, followed by the shoving of a dress into my hands sure sounded like I had to."

"You needed _a _dress. You can have choices."

She looked up, her eyes snapping to his as though they were magnets.

"Can I choose to go home?" she asked, and he hated to hear the desperate crack in her voice.

But she didn't understand yet.

"No."

She breathed out in slight disappointment, slumping back against her chair. "There aren't any other choices that really matter, then."

* * *

Continuously trying to push back against Ward only to have to bow to his will time and time again left Skye's defiance wavering and her mind tired. She didn't speak on the cab ride back to his apartment.

The only victory she could revel in was never having taken her coat off. The dress was, in fact, gorgeous, and it wasn't even the most low-cut thing she'd even seen. It was short, though not skanky, a dark silver color.

But she'd felt exposed enough. Forced there against her will to help her team, having to listen to _Ward._ No, she would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her dressed up like a doll to admire.

The apartment was simple, and Skye could tell he hadn't been there long. She could tell he wasn't planning on staying forever, either. Maybe just for this week that he planned to keep her there.

She'd wondered, why London? He'd baited them all out there. Caught Hunter and Bobbi in this country, and told Skye that they were to stay there. It seemed random. It must have taken valuable resources for him to get here.

But he was insane. So.

Ward brought her bag in; she'd been "permitted" to bring her own clothes. But he wouldn't let her touch it until he unpacked it, and she knew he was looking for any monitoring or communication equipment.

He wouldn't find any. Part of the terms was no technology, and Skye was going to follow his strange rules to the best of her ability. She didn't think Ward _wanted_ to hurt her, but hurt her friends? She seemed to be the only one immune to his bloodlust.

She only feared for her dignity, as he had the leverage to make her obey. But she could endure that, endure his strange notions of "getting her to like him" in order to get Bobbi and Hunter back.

She sat on the couch while he ransacked her bag. He did it nicely, folding everything and placing it in cabinets to give the illusion that he was doing it for her benefit.

When she saw her pajamas, she stood. "I'm going to get changed for bed." She made sure it wasn't a question. She'd take back control however she could, in any small ways possible.

He nodded, handing her the sweatpants and baggy shirt.

The apartment was a studio, and she only spied out one bed. One bed, one couch, one TV, one table. Two chairs. Completely minimalistic. And the couch definitely wouldn't fit him, but she'd rather sleep there than in bed with Grant Ward any day.

Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the plan, judging by what passed Skye's sights on her way to the restroom. She couldn't help but still to a stop, as on the headboard hung a pair of handcuffs while another pair were entrapped around the bottom of the bed.

She stared at them, foreboding creeping over her skin until it met with her eyes, stinging them. She rushed to the bathroom. Once in the door she leaned over the toilet, promptly throwing up.

Skye had known this was a possibility. He was sick. He was a sick psychopath who thought he loved her, prepared to show her that by any means necessary. And, quite clear by _any _recent behavior of the man's, he had demented and skewed ways of showing her this.

Skye shrugged off the fur coat, letting it drop to the floor beside her. Ward had gotten her that as well and she didn't like the thought of showing that off either, but it was better than parading her bare skin around for him.

She cried as silently as she could, leaning her forehead on the back of the toilet. Skye had never asked for this. She'd never wanted to catch the attention of a murderer, become his only drive.

She certainly didn't want to be raped by the bastard.

But it was better than the alternative. That her team would die. Bobbi and Hunter were just the immediate threat if Skye stepped a toe out of line. But Ward had made it clear the whole team was in jeopardy if Skye didn't play along.

God, how could he think she would _ever _see good in him?

_The end will justify the means. You'll see that,_ he'd said to her, when she'd asked the question to him.

She knew he wouldn't hurt her physically. But force love upon her, in the simplest way known to man? She could never put it past his mind.

Her stomach churned and she noticed just the tiniest of trembles to the area around herself. She wondered how she was going to do this. He instincts, her powers, would try to kill him. But she couldn't let that happen, she had to control it…

The dress suddenly felt far too revealing, even alone in the bathroom. She ripped it off and replaced it with the comfort of her pajamas as quickly as possible.

Skye curled up into the corner on the tiled floor. She didn't want to go out there. How could she go out there? He was waiting… waiting to…

Maybe she could talk him out of it.

_Knock Knock Knock._

"Skye?"

She closed her eyes despairingly and let the tears roll down.

"Are you alright?"

She scoffed an incredulous laugh through her tears. What a question that was. _Yeah, perfectly fine, just kidnapped by a crazy person about to chain me to a bed._

She wiped her nose, and got up silently to open the door. There he stood, concern painted on his face.

"You were in there a while," he said, looking into the bathroom as though someone might pop out. Good. Let him be paranoid.

"Where do I sleep?" she asked, quite frank. Might as well get down to it.

Ward looked slightly taken aback by the question. "The bed."

She nodded thoughtlessly, sidestepping him as to beeline for the bed. She thought to ask where he was planning on sleeping, but she knew.

Skye flopped onto the bed and curled into herself, leaning close as she could to the edge. Leaning away from him. Maybe he would just let her sleep.

"Skye."

But that was just too much to hope for, wasn't it?

His tone sounded rueful, sitting next to her gently on the mattress from the other side of the bed.

"What?" she asked, speaking into the pillow, specifically avoiding looking at him.

She heard the headboard's handcuffs clink together when he reached for them, and she couldn't help but clench her eyes shut. Willing this all to go away.

"You're going to have to put these on."

She cursed silently into the pillow before picking herself up to face him.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I need to know you're going to stay put for the night."

She looked up at him, confusion drawing on her face. It was not the answer she'd been expecting.

"What?"

"I just need to be sure you're staying in the bed.

She turned her head around, eying the other pair of shackles. When he attached both of them, she wouldn't be able to curl up or shy away if he did try to touch her. Not to mention, she wasn't expecting sleep to exactly be easy here, and that would be uncomfortable…

"You don't need to put them both on," Ward said suddenly, reading her thoughts.

She turned to him. "Then… why are they both here? You could have just had one and moved it."

Ward seemed to think it over. "I was just planning ahead. Making sure you had choices."

_Trying to be accommodating._

As though she was just a normal houseguest, and he was making sure he had more pillows out from the closet.

He offered her the cuff in his hand, still attached to the headboard, and she scowled.

"This is stupid! I'm obviously not going anywhere when I surrendered to you. I met you at the place _you_ picked out and walked in this apartment of my own free will!" she protested, but checked herself. "Ok, not exactly free… but I could literally _kill _you right now if I wanted to, but I'm clearly not. And you want to handcuff me to the bed?"

"Please Skye, don't fight," he said, and despite the wording, it sounded more like a warning than pleading.

"Fine," she said bluntly, letting a tone of defiance shine over what was actually relief.

She was _relieved_ that her kidnapper was merely chaining her to the bed for the night.

God this was fucked up.

"Wrist or ankle. You're choice," he said, and left the chain dangling there for her to put on herself as he walked into the small kitchen.

She could only stare at it for a few moments, her mind having a hard time catching up to anything that was going on. But maybe this particular happenstance was good. Because she realized, if Ward didn't want her snooping around at night…

He had something to hide.

So she put the handcuff around her ankle that was attached to the bottom of the four-poster bed. She didn't try to keep it loose, surely he'd be extra cautious tonight. Well, who was Skye kidding? He was cautious all the time. But maybe if she could play along well-enough she'd get his guard down…

She wasn't sure why. It was only a week. A week of playing this game and then he'd let her go, and no one had to get hurt. She didn't have to escape. Not really. But, only as long as things kept going as they were.

She declined his offers of food and turned over in the bed, finding herself incredibly tired. And not to mention, the more she slept, the less time she'd have to spend with him. She just hoped this act would stay as tame as it seemed so far.

Somehow, she didn't think it would.

* * *

**TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of rape. But NO RAPE. **It's not even attempted, just a concern.

So Ward… quite a debate on him in this fandom. Lately I've noticed fics showing him to be a villain, while others show him as an honest to god hero. Me? I definitely think he's an antagonist on the show and believe there is little to no chance him and Skye will be together. That said, I've spent like… over 100,000 words writing redemption arcs for him with happy skyward endings and I decided I wanted to try something I believe is a little more true to his character, but taking the side where he has good intentions but past abuse has made him pretty misguided. (Not that I ever think this will really happen, more of his thought process.)

This will **not have an entirely happy ending.** (And definitely not a skyeward ending.) Will most likely be six-seven chapters.


	2. Flames

**A/n:** Hello! The feedback on this was much better than I'd ever hoped it to be and so convinced me to get this chapter up much quicker :) Sorry it's short, but it will be the shortest of the bunch. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**When flames lick at my heels I jump into your arms (but you still set the fire)**

**DAY TWO**

The British Museum didn't require formal clothes so Skye was able to choose from the ones she'd packed. (A grey sweater with leggings, mere practical clothes made divine on her). The fact that she'd picked them made Ward feel near relieved as Skye didn't seem to like the dress he'd chosen. He wasn't sure why. He personally thought it was a little more chaste than things girls usually put on these days and Skye surely wasn't afraid to show skin. Maybe she'd thought it was ugly.

Whatever the reason, she should have mentioned it. He would've given her something else.

"Where do you want to start?" he asked her as she looked over the map.

"Mm. I guess… I've always wanted to see the Rosetta Stone."

She'd effortlessly eased into her old self - as he liked to think of her, pre-training, pre-Hydra, pre-_worry_, more likely than not her _true _self if not for all those harsh factors – when he'd made it clear that today would not be like the restaurant. The past would not be discussed, it was simply like a first date. A blind date. As though memories were all erased from their minds to give them a blank slate.

If that were truly possible, Ward was sure he would've already fallen in love with her by now.

So they saw the stone first and made the rounds after that. Ward kept himself at a distance. He'd rest his hands on her shoulders, maybe, but nothing more. Simple, as if they'd truly just met. Meanwhile Skye was acting decently talkative in plain conversation.

"Wow," she commented on a particularly brutish statue.

"Kind of ugly."

"I was looking at the big head," she said flatly. "Reminds me of yours."

She turned to move on to the next exhibit (for as talkative as she was, she was moving at a fair pace) and Ward laughed at her jibe before trailing after her.

"Ah look. Hydra."

"We're not talking about it-"

"I said _look_. At the stupid drawing thing."

Ward did. It seemed to be a sketch; a well-muscled man taking on a large lizard with multiple heads.

"It reminds me of the serpent," Skye said. "From the bible."

"Powerful?"

She scrutinized him, incredulity written all over her face.

"Evil," she pronounced, as though speaking to a child. Then she snorted. "Do you see everything the wrong way? God, how did you even manage to _pretend _you were normal for so long… I'm surprised we weren't talking about puppies one day and you didn't causally mention how they should all be burned alive because… they have too much fur to be practical, or something."

What the hell? She'd been doing so well.

And that didn't even make sense.

"Jesus, Skye…" He ran a hand through his hair. Instead of reminding her this wasn't something to be talked about, he pulled her over to the side. Maybe she'd respond better to honestly. "Listen. It was easy to know what that Grant Ward would have done. I knew him inside and out, even if I didn't always agree with him. And honestly, I don't think he was any better or any worse than me."

She scoffed at that, shaking her head thoughtlessly.

"And I do like dogs. Me. I had a dog, Buddy. Garrett gave him to me."

She stared at him. Her brown eyes moved uncertainly as they read his face. "Oh. I guess it's possible for the man to have done one non-evil thing in his life…"

"He ordered me to shoot him."

"Fuck!"

"Shh. Keep your voice down! There's kids…"

"How did you not realize that man was insane, Ward?" she asked desperately. She tilted her head, almost pityingly. "Is he why _you're _insane?"

"I'm not- mm," he grumbled. They were getting off topic. They'd been doing so well and then his fucking past had to bring things off the rails again.

But she needed to know. He couldn't let her think the worst.

"You killed a defenseless dog because your mentor ordered you to?"

"I didn't shoot Buddy," he said, hands grasping her shoulders, trying to ground her in front of him. It wasn't until that moment that he could feel the light trembling. "I couldn't - there was no logical reason for it. I left him in the woods because it gave him a shot to fend for himself."

Skye nodded. "So as long as something is… tactical, it's excusable?"

Yes! "_Yes._" He smiled when he said it, because she seemed to have finally have started comprehending his way of thinking.

Grant Ward knew he was a killer, but not a _serial_ killer as Skye had once called him. There was always a reason. An end to justify the means. A mission in the long run.

"So you killed Eric because it was tactful." Her voice was very quiet, causing him to grimace.

She looked so sad.

He wished he hadn't caused it.

There had been kills Ward made that were worse than others. People who killed mercilessly, people who liked to see others in pain, who'd taken lives as well, or even just cocky assholes were easier marks.

Koenig had near reminded Ward of a child. The man was strange and petulant, and Ward did not enjoy killing him.

But he was not a child. And he'd been in the way.

Ward shrugged. "I was a spy. I had a mission," he repeated the words from a lifetime ago.

Her face was blank. "Ok."

She walked away. By the time Ward caught up with her she was looking at another exhibit, reading the description until she discovered something else to fall under the scrutiny of her witty comments.

She started speaking as though the conversation they'd just had didn't exist and managed to keep it up until they were leaving.

It was impressive. And though it was unexpected, Ward was pleased she was able to refocus so easily.

"Should we get something from the café on the way out?" he asked. He eyed the gift shop, and smiled. "Maybe a souvenir…?"

Skye shook her head. "I don't need anything."

"You could pick out anything you want," he offered.

"No thanks."

"Ok, we should probably eat though."

She sighed. "You can."

"You haven't eaten today," Ward observed gently, concern coating his voice.

"I'm well aware, Ward," she snapped.

She was showing him her back as she faced the exit to the museum, and Grant put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to eat."

"I'm _not_ a child. I can decide for myself if I'm freaking hungry!"

Her voice cracked near the end of the sentence.

"Are you _crying_?" he asked, not meaning to put as much blame and disbelief in the question as there probably was.

_"__No,"_ she denied petulantly. As good as any confession.

"Hey," he cooed, "why are you crying?"

She scoffed, turning around to show him the tears. She looked about to spew venom. "I don't-" She sniffled discreetly and shook her head while she recalculated her response. "I just want to leave."

"Ok. Sure, of course," he assured, guiding her towards the door with gentle hands on her shoulders. She was shaking. Of course, _she_ wasn't just shaking.

"Skye-"

"I know," she replied instantly, her voice overlapping even her name.

"You really have to stop," he hissed in her ear as they made their way out.

She let out a shuttering breath. "I'm trying."

"Not hard enough," he said firmly. She was an agent and it was possible she'd respond better if he treated her like one. Like May would. "Look, there's going to be a shit storm if you don't stop. So find a way to get your emotions in check, _now_."

"Everything ok here?"

Skye looked up from under her bangs and Ward, in turn, glanced up from staring at her. A museum security man was standing in front of them.

Well shit.

Ward flashed a smile. "Ah, yeah. She's just a little upset, but some air will fix her up."

Skye nodded meekly. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"You're sure?" asked the guard skeptically. And the question was undoubtedly directed at Skye.

Skye smiled. "Mhm. I really just need to get outside," she said exasperatedly with a put-on grin, selling it well enough.

Ward saw the man's eyes linger at her arm. There was a layer of bruising, most likely from her recent training. It wasn't an unlikely occurrence.

"Ok," said the guard simply, gesturing for the door. "I still hope you enjoyed your time."

"Thanks," Ward said as they walked past. He could feel the man's eyes on their backs. When Ward surreptitiously glanced to the side, he saw the man heading for a staff room.

He suspected something. They couldn't chance it.

Grant stopped walking.

"Skye, you head outside. I need to take care of something."

Her eyes got wide. She wasn't stupid, and what he was going to do had clicked in her mind immediately. "No…" she whispered, shaking her head. "Please don't do this."

He tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

There was a strained grimace on her face as she shook her head. "No it won't. Not if you do this. He didn't think anything-"

"He's about to go call the cops, Skye," Ward leveled with her. If that man had heard any of the conversation of when Ward was trying to help her get ahold of her powers… well, it sounded bad. "Just wait outside."

"Please, I'll do anything," she whispered desperately. "I'll be better, I swear. I'll act like a perfect girlfriend. I could… I could put on a show for you tonight, just you and me," she added quietly. "Just please don't kill anyone!"

"Skye, you didn't do anything wrong," he told her, shocked she would think so. Shocked that she believed she owed him anything for this.

Or could stop him.

She took his hands. "Please," she tried one more time.

"Just wait outside," he said, giving her hands a gentle squeeze before releasing them and she just about broke down in tears. "And get that under control," he added when the trembling increased. It wasn't threatening anyone, mere vibrations, but it needed to stop. For the well being of their cover as well as anyone else and only Skye could learn to compartmentalize her emotions and learn halt the manic vibrations.

But as Ward followed the guard into the backroom, he only felt quaking increase.

* * *

**A/n:** I'll probably start updating ever few days from here on out. (but reviews make me wanna post faster! ;) )


	3. Your Game

**A/n:** Guys! The reviews! I love you! My original intention was to upload like a chapter every five days... but I'm motivated to go faster. So thanks!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Winning guarantees failure by your game's rules (but I'll keep playing in hopes of a tie)**

**DAY THREE**

"D-2."

Skye eyed the board flatly. Her voice was the same. "You sank my battleship."

She played up a fake rueful smile as if she cared about losing some stupid board game, while Ward stoically went about moving the appropriate pieces.

Skye hadn't slept well last night. So now her eyes felt hot and dry, near welcoming the liquid that was threatening to push over. But she had to do this right. She would not be the cause of anyone's misfortune.

_Be good. Be good. Be good._

She hoped that her episode in the middle of the night hadn't been enough to piss him off.

She'd had a panic attack or something. He'd been a little peeved once they'd gotten back from the museum, so when she'd expressed interest in going to bed (so early and without eating, again) his temper seemed to heighten and he slapped a shackle on her wrist and told her to "have at it."

But she knew she'd done the right thing. He'd called her decision "reckless", but quaking the place to cause a distraction instead of flat out killing a person had surely been smart.

And when that security guard had been one of the first to run out of the building from the trembles, the relief coupled with the first good feelings she'd felt in days was enough to assure her that, even if they'd called attention to themselves, it was the right thing.

Ward had come at her a little like a storm, nervous but calculating as he whisked them away. He was afraid they'd been compromised.

No casualties, not compromised.

_Sounds like a successful mission to me, Mr. _Soldier.

Ward was hot and cold. Fine with certain things, but scolded her on others. She couldn't get a read on him.

And it scared her.

She didn't know how far she could push. Even as he seemed to be thinking through every action with logic - fucked up logic though it was - she could not figure him out.

So she'd played her part. Truly tried to trick her mind into believing this was the BUS Ward, because how else could she do such a thing as this?

But the real man always shone through now that he was openly try to prove to her his authenticity, and she couldn't help but take jabs at him when she felt there was opportunity.

Fucking idiot. Couldn't even tell she'd been making fun of him, thought she'd been being playful.

There'd been more malice behind her voice than that of which had started wars.

So she supposed the fucked up situation in general was what had caused her freak out the previous night. Her wrist had been cuffed to the bed and yet she'd clung to the chain as though a child to a cherished stuffed animal, as Ward was less than a foot from her. She'd had to curl herself inward as far as she could.

She hated him. More than she hated anyone. Anyone in history or in her life. She. Hated. Him.

So no, she couldn't fall asleep with metal around her hand while someone she despised guarded her there. She couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks or the fact that she began panting like a dog, trying to catch her breath.

She'd figured she should have had experience with this lately considering her powers and all, but when the room started shaking it made her that much more nervous. Surely he'd wake up, where he'd see her utter vulnerability. She'd felt exposed and trapped with nothing she could do about it, the thoughts causing more distress as they made her panic attack go full circle.

The only thing that she could take solace in was the fact that Ward hadn't tried to comfort her. He'd gotten up and she'd stiffened at his movement, but instead of so much as speaking to her, he'd just walked into the bathroom.

Skye wasn't sure how long he was gone because with his absence, she was able to quiet down and get some sleep.

She wouldn't have even been sure he'd come back at all if she hadn't woken when he had in the morning. Though she'd kept her eyes shut, hoping to prolong the moments when he'd chat with her again about the rules, like not crying in your sleep. Because, you know, _that's_ avoidable.

But he just uncuffed her, caught her hand as he gently lowered it to the mattress and walked away.

After that, she opened her eyes and was ready to start the day. Ready to play the game, put on the façade. She'd be flawless, she vowed. Her crying in the night had been a release of sorts and now she knew she could handle it, put on a show for everyone.

She hadn't been expecting it to just be the two of them.

He'd told her they were going to stay in that day. He'd gotten out champagne (alcohol was the only thing she graciously accepted from him, to numb this wretched experience) and they'd been playing board games ever since.

"You used to be better at this game," Ward mentioned.

She tried to smile. Again. Her last one had already fallen. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's just stabbing in the dark."

"What game do you want to play, then? I've got quite a collection…"

"Oh yeah, I see that." She shrugged. "I don't really care."

"We could break for lunch?" he suggested. She swallowed.

"Actually, I think, uh, maybe Clue? Though I'm sure your way better than me, you seem to be able to think twenty steps ahead…"

"Why won't you eat?" he asked bluntly.

Skye hugged herself. "I ate," she protested.

"One piece of sliced bread this morning. And absolutely nothing yesterday."

"I'm just not hungry."

"That's impossible," he said, then chuckled, his mood shifting with an almost unnatural ease. "Especially for you."

Skye glared.

He shouldn't get to know that. He shouldn't be allowed to know her like he did, her personal preferences. What her pajamas looked like. What her favorite band was or food or anything else he'd decorated this apartment up with to make her feel at ease. It was stolen information from a traitor and she felt vulnerable knowing she'd shared secrets with someone who only knew how to weave entrancing lies.

"Can you blame me?" she hissed quietly, suddenly beside herself. "I'm in the most fucked up situation on the planet! I can't help if I have chronic nausea."

Before he could respond she picked herself up. And there she was, standing. Breaking his protocol, weaving her hands through her hair and she didn't know why she'd cracked so abruptly. All she knew was -

"I can't do this," she muttered. "I can't play this fucking _game_ anymore."

"I already said you could pick the next game."

Her mouth gaped and, surprising even herself only a little, she whipped the board and the pieces to the floor in one fair swoop. Ward put up his hands to pacify her immediately.

"Not that game!" she shouted.

"Ok, it was a joke," Ward said, and for some reason it calmed Skye a degree to realize it truly had been. Maybe just a reassurance that he wasn't that insane.

Still insane, though.

"I can't do it, I can't," she repeated, and – ah crap. She was crying again. The tears made her feel so weak, and he shouldn't get to see her like that. At least they were only coating her eyes and not streaming down her face. She hated that he'd gotten to see her beg too, but he was going to kill a person! "You were going to kill a person yesterday!"

Ward calmly nodded. "He was a variable, yes. But you got him out of the way before it came to that. I didn't exactly agree with your method, but…"

She grew livid. "_Method?_ My method wasn't to murder some innocent man, you… _asshole!_"

Ward just stared at her, a hard look in his eyes. He was waiting for something. Waiting for her to get a hold of herself.

Waiting for her to remember the stakes.

"Shit," she breathed. "Shit, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt them." She pushed her hand to her head in frustration because there she was, pleading and asking for forgiveness from him _again._

It might have been a horrific situation, but it was her reality and she'd messed up just like she'd vowed not to. She had to clean up her mess.

"Please just… you can punish me, not them. My friends never did anything to deserve it."

_Did I do something to deserve this?_

He inched closer to her, and she hated how her lip was quivering. Could she not control her damn body's reactions?

Apparently not, because the pictures on the walls were shaking.

He grabbed her hand, cupping it in his own. She grit her teeth. His touch caused an instant end to the pathetic quivering and replaced it with something else. Something rage-filled.

The pictures still shook.

"I understand," he said. "We had a rough patch yesterday. You're trying to work through it and that's all I can ask for. Your friends are safe."

At the momentary reprieve that he'd promised not to hurt Bobbi and Hunter she tried one last time to make this end now. Screw dignity. There was no room for that here.

"Please." She breathed harsh through her tears. "Can we please stop this? I don't even know what _this_ is. If you really cared… can I _please _just go home?"

At that his face turned stern as he backed away from her.

She _had_ gone one step too far.

"If you want to consider _this_ as anything, Skye, it could be counted as training," Ward told her firmly, walking away towards one of his bags.

"Training?" Skye muttered skeptically.

"Your friends' lives are in jeopardy and, right now, you're_ not_ trying. What if this wasn't me? What if this was Hydra doing this to you?"

She could laugh. She almost did. But the disbelief consumed her and she found herself only able to stare as her mouth fell unhinged.

"You've broken the terms far too many times and a Hydra agent wouldn't have given you the benefit of the doubt. One of your friends would be dead by now and I'm guessing the other would be missing a few extremities."

Skye wasn't paying attention to what he was packing. She probably should've been, agent observation skills and whatnot, but she was running too low on energy from lack of food and sleep, so she could only focus on contemplating his words.

"I…" she mumbled hoarsely. She was fearing for her friends' lives. "I thought you said I didn't do anything wrong."

"Yesterday," he corrected. "When the security guard came over you managed to pull yourself together. The fact that he suspected anything was my fault. I didn't keep a good eye out when I was trying to help your powers dim down. And whenever your powers are involved I'm sure you're trying. Because the threat to people's safety is right in front of you." He zipped up the pack. "But sometimes, you're _not _trying. And I let it slide because I have feelings for you."

She couldn't help but shudder at that.

He turned to face her. "Let me assure you though, the threat may not be in front of you but it is _very_ real."

His eyes were dark and they bore far passed her own, as she felt them probe deep into her. She couldn't slip up again.

She refused to.

She could do this.

Skye shook her head, somehow mustering up something that could pass as a smile on her face. "So… can we play Clue now?"

He paused before he chuckled but Skye could see he was impressed. It made her stomach feel like a war zone, conflict raging between the good and bad of seeing him satisfied.

"_Good,_" he stressed. "God, you're going to be amazing undercover. Once you get your abilities in check of course, which I have no doubt you will." He smiled. "But, no need to strain yourself. I know it'll be harder for you right now." He pulled the bag to his back. "You take the day."

"What?" she asked dumbly as he made his way to the door.

"I'm going to go pick up something to help you refocus."

Skye stilled.

So that's what he'd been packing for. He was leaving to get something to make her play along.

"What is it?" she asked, wide-eyed and scared for the answer.

He grinned. "You'll see. I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

Skye gulped.

She wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure of anything.

But if Ward at least had the delusion she'd like it, it probably wouldn't be one of the other agents to hurt or torture in front of her as persuasion. Unless… he wanted to bring them in so she could have a "friend" in this strange game of house.

As selfish as it was, to go through this alone wasn't a completely unwelcome thought.

"You can stay here," he continued, "and feel free to do whatever you want. Kitchen's stocked. TV's got Netflix and Xbox-"

"Why the hell were we playing board games then…" she muttered playfully. Even slapped a grin on her face for the wry comment. Because you know what? Why not fucking hit it out of the park. If he wanted witty, lippy girlfriend she could give him all the frisky snark in the world.

He smiled again. And though this particular one was close to the way he'd used to look at her, any feelings she'd had for the old Grant Ward had disappeared long ago. The only thing she had left was a lingering memory that filled her with dread.

"There's cameras throughout the place," he said. "Obviously not in the bathroom, but you get the gist. Don't try to meddle with them."

"And don't leave," she finished for him.

"Right," he agreed. "Don't leave."

He did though, leaving her to casually peruse the place. Anything he'd hoped for her not to find at night must have been taken with him, or she'd surely be physically restricted as well as by the mere threat of surveillance.

But she'd checked it out, just in case.

And… nothing.

It was expected, but there was no absence of disappointment anyhow.

She used the accommodations he'd mentioned, because why the hell not? She shouldn't sacrifice her happiness- ok, happiness might have been too strong a word… _slight comfort_ would probably be better – just to spite him.

Weak, caving in… that's what she'd thought at first. That she was giving him the satisfaction of accepting something he'd given to her. But anyone would want something to keep them from boredom.

Like a prisoner who was given a book to read. She just decided…

Why. The fuck. Not.

And it was much easier to eat when his constant presence wasn't churning up her stomach. It was his food, but she could count that as doing it for herself because she needed the strength.

She took a shower, deciding she'd rather not be filthy at the end of the week. If this was her only moment without Ward in the apartment she should take advantage of it.

Then she went to bed. Without him, without handcuffs. And with the absence of these things she almost felt guilty. Surely Bobbi and Hunter were in much worse accommodations, though Ward promised they were being taken care of.

Ok, so she definitely felt guilty. Wafting over her in waves and filling her to the brim because whatever their predicament, good or bad conditions, it was because of her. Kidnapped by her psychotic stalker.

Even with the guilt and anxiety of what would happen when he returned it did not compare with what he brought with him when he did.

"What the fuck" didn't even begin to cover it.

* * *

**A/n:** Aw, he's such a sweet manipulative fake-boyfriend, getting her something... I hope you guys don't hate me for what he's going to get her xD

Anyway, **I did change the title**! Sorry if that is confusing. The first was long and clunky and though I like the quote it came from I like this one much more.

Thank **Shadow375** for the beta of this chapter and the last!

If you're enjoying please let me know :)


	4. Cracks

**A/n:** Because this story is already really strange I'm adding this strange element.

Sorry about the delay with this one. LOVED the reviews and I would have at least had it up by yesterday but I was not in internet for a while... hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Cracks are forming under our feet (and with another pair we'll crumble faster)**

**DAY FOUR**

"Holy mother of… _fuck!"_ Skye screeched. The apartment moved with her voice. "Tell me that's not what I think it is."

Ward didn't look down at the bundle in his arms. "Well, if you think it's a baby, then-"

"Shit! It's a baby. Holy shit it's a _baby._" She spun around and began walking towards the bathroom. Ward hurried to follow her because she shouldn't just walk away from this, avoid it. But she quickly about-faced.

Oh. She was just pacing.

"Skye, calm down," Ward tried to soothe. "You're shaking the place."

"Yeah I'm shaking the place! What did you expect? You brought a baby! I don't- I- just, _why_? And how?" She paused, and he began to answer, but she didn't give him quite enough of a beat. "Did you convince someone to let you babysit? Because even if they didn't know you were nuts you'd be one weird looking nanny."

Ward sighed. "I will answer your questions once you calm down." Honestly, Ward was shocked Skye hadn't already woken the infant up. "Go sit on the bed."

Skye took a gulp of breath and Ward couldn't even read her face as she went to take a seat. It was probably caught somewhere between seething and disbelief, if he had to guess.

Ward expected the shock, sure. Acquiring babies wasn't all too easy, so she was sure to be surprised he'd brought one there. He did not expect her outright distraught. Grant was under the impression most women delighted at the prospect of them. And Skye was so caring, surely she'd be one of the more maternal people in the world.

She was worlds away from the slightest bit happy.

He went and sat next to her to which she flinched away, but kept her mouth shut. The shaking had stopped. He wasn't sure what she was doing to make it so, but it was working.

He opened the blanket to reveal the girl's sleeping face to Skye. The agent's eyes darted away at first, but curiosity got the better of her and she spared a glance.

"I named her Daisy," said Ward.

Skye made something he thought might have been a gagging noise, but perhaps he heard wrong. Still, it would add to the pattern of unforeseen reactions today.

She let out a shaky breath, obviously trying to stay calm. "_You_ named her… Is she… she's yours?" Skye asked, seeming fearful to hear the answer. Though Ward wasn't sure which one she'd prefer.

"No," he answered. "She's an orphan. Just like you were. But she doesn't have to grow up in foster homes and orphanages, you could take care of her."

"What?" Skye snapped, but she kept her voice even. "I'm… I agreed to do this for a week! I'm not going to raise a _child_ with you. That wasn't part of the terms. No way in-"

"You don't have to," Ward told her, despite the fact that that was actually what his preferred outcome of this experience would be. But the main point of this was merely to have her understanding.

By sheer luck, the child actually resembled them. Had the black hair that could belong to either Grant or Skye, and dark skin that matched Skye's complexion. If things really did work out they could have a kid of their own, but what would be better for an orphan like Skye than rescuing one from the nightmare of a childhood she'd had?

He didn't expect Skye to want much to do with him after this week at first. She'd need to know that Coulson had gotten Hunter and Morse back right after Skye had come to him - that they'd never been in any actual danger. That would hopefully be enough to push her over the edge to understanding why he did what he had and that he truly wasn't anywhere near evil now.

"So you just want to play house for a week?" asked Skye. "Then you want _me_ to keep the baby?"

"You can. If you want."

"I don't want! I _do not_ want!" Skye exclaimed. "I never want children, let alone one _you're_ offering up to me."

He honestly hadn't been expecting that. "How come you don't want kids?"

She looked a little disheveled at revealing any information. Sighing and eyeing him warily, she still spoke.

"I guess it was a possibility before… if I ever got myself off the streets and the fates decided to give me the resources," she mumbled. "But then I became an agent and there's no place for a baby in that life. Heck, there's a pretty good chance I'd die before the kid turns five! And then if that weren't enough, there's no way I'd pass on these so-called _powers _to a child…"

"Well that's where Daisy would come in handy," Ward pointed out, and Skye's scowl grew at the sound of the baby's name.

"Why the hell would you name it Daisy? Don't you know I _hate _my father?" She scoffed. "Of course you wouldn't, because I hate him for the exact same reasons I hate you, and you obviously don't understand that…"

Ward actually wasn't entirely sure how the context of Skye's meeting with her dad had gone. The fact that Hydra interrupted surely had marred the experience, but disliking her actual father?

Ward had spoken with the man before Skye had, when the doctor had told him Skye's birth name. Grant thought there couldn't be a better moniker for the child. It would be like… starting over for Skye.

Cal's reasoning for what he'd done seemed sound. He'd helped Whitehall and Hydra to get to his lost daughter. He'd had to kill people along the way, but that was justified.

And it honestly astounded him that Skye could not see that.

"Your father lost his whole family in one day," Ward pointed out. Skye had the nerve to roll her eyes, as though she'd heard this before. "Did you ever stop to think_ you're_ the one who doesn't understand?"

Skye's eyes became dark. "It doesn't matter what happened to him. Murdering innocent people for a personal vendetta is not right!"

It was about then that Ward realized his object to "refocus" Skye on her terms was not working. He expected the questions, but he also expected her to want to hold Daisy, get to know her. From his understanding in the past it was easy to fall in love with babies. Heck, Ward hadn't spent a lot of time with the kid and he didn't mind her as much as he thought he would. And when he'd picked her up from 33, even she'd seemed to like her…

_"__You're early," she said, as though caught off guard. Eyes wide and concern present on her face when Grant Ward showed up at the door. _

_Agent 33 was quite a mess to look at, sentimentality wise as well as her gruesome burn, but hell if she wasn't convenient. _

_Ward needed someone to help him. Sure, if he could, he'd help her figure out a way to deal with life without Whitehall. Without someone to report to and find out her true identity. She needed that eventually._

_But all she wanted right now was someone to follow, so he offered it to the woman. She'd been the one to decide to worship the ground at his feet._

_Convenient. _

_"__Yeah," he responded lightly, walking into the hotel room. "Having any trouble?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders only slightly. "I wasn't sure if I even liked babies," she admitted._

_"__Huh. Do you know now?" Ward asked curiously._

_"__I liked caring for her," 33 admitted with a timid smile. "But I'm not sure I'd want to do it all the time."_

_Ward laughed. "Yeah well, you're off the clock now. I'm picking her up."_

_"__Right, early. This_ is_ earlier than planned, right?"_

_He shrugged. "I needed a motivator earlier than planned."_

_"__Oh." Her eyes held conflicting emotions, upset for his project but he noticed a flash of concern that was somehow in separate terms. 33 had quite the crush on him, it was all too obvious, but perhaps she was worried about the child's wellbeing. "It's not going well?"_

_Ward thought about it. "Not as well as I was hoping, but about as well as could be anticipated I suppose. She's a headstrong agent."_

_"__Will it take you longer than planned, now?" 33 asked, and the concern was clear as day on her face this time._

_She didn't want him away from her for that long._

_He placed a hand to her cheek. "Hey, once this week is over, we are going to fix this… nano mask. Nothing's going to delay it."_

_She smiled under his touch, sighing in relief. "You said that if the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent saw your reasoning she might help us. Do you think she'll lend us some resources?"_

_Ward gave her a pointed look. "She's nowhere near understanding yet, so I doubt it. Though I don't expect to be anywhere close to gaining her trust before she finds out that I didn't keep the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hostage."_

_"__Why didn't we keep them? I could have handled them longer…"_

_He smirked. "I'm not doubting your capabilities," he said. "But I would never hurt someone this S.H.I.E.L.D. agent cares about. It would be impossible for her to see my side after hurting people so close to her."_

_"__Hm." _

_33's skeptical grumble was the reason he'd been reserved not to tell her it was Skye he'd been seeing. The woman obviously was following Ward only half out of needing leadership, the other part being how she'd fallen for him. Telling her he was trying to get the love of his life back on his side could possibly compromise their relationship, and he needed her. Especially if Skye still wanted nothing to do with him when this was all over._

_But despite how doe-eyed and self-conscious she was, 33 wasn't a dumb person. Ward knew she had suspicions the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in question was Skye. But for reasons unknown, she'd not voiced the notion. Perhaps in fear of the answer or even upsetting Ward. And though he couldn't be sure, he wasn't about to ask._

_Ward picked Daisy up out of the crib and crooked her in his arm. "I may have ran into a small hiccup but I swear, nothing will keep me from being back at the end of this week."_

_"__Ok," she said quietly, giving him a shy smile. "I'll be here."_

But Skye was not 33. Skye was _nothing_ like 33. That woman was a mere child, at least in the state Whitehall left her in. Implicitly a good agent but with absolutely no opinions of her own and in danger of drowning in the world if it weren't for someone constantly taking care of her.

Skye was opinionated and strong, completely capable of living on her own even when the most she was given had been scraps. Ward didn't need to take care of her like he did with 33, he just _wanted_ to. And he wanted her to let him.

So it really shouldn't be surprising that whatever Grant expected of her, she'd give him the opposite reaction.

But Ward sighed and figured it was worth a shot. "Do you want to hold her?"

Skye looked near offended, shying away from him on the bed. "No! No I don't want to hold your random orphan baby!" She sucked in a breath. "Wait… where _did _you get it? Oh my god, did you _adopt_ the baby?" Her voice morphed from disbelief to concern, as though pleading with him. "Ward, you have to take it back."

"_She _can't go back," Ward said. "She's a person Skye, not a thing. You can call her a 'her'."

"I don't want anything to do with _her_!" Skye shrieked. Then, what Ward could best describe as a growl ripped from her mouth. "God _damn_ it, don't you _understand_? You have to take it _back!"_

That's when Daisy finally woke up.

Her brown eyes flew open for only a moment before she squeezed them shut to scream her cries. Ward immediately started bouncing the child, spoke soft soothing words to try and appease her. Skye merely stared, guilt and exasperation written on all of her features, as he got the infant to quiet down.

"Get dressed Skye," he told her, starting to bunch the blankets and pillows in the middle of the bed for a makeshift crib. He had a real one, or at least one of those portable things, but he'd planned to put it together that night with Skye once she'd adjusted to the situation.

"We're going out?" she asked.

"Yes," Ward answered. "We're going to take a walk in Hyde Park."

Skye's voice was so quiet, it was almost as though she was afraid to ask. "With the baby?"

Ward had to sigh, because how much more obvious could it get?

"With the baby."

Skye's head sunk low in what Ward could only guess as disappointment or a subconscious submission. She then trudged to the bathroom, just after gathering fresh clothes in her hands.

* * *

"Oh, she's beautiful!" cooed the woman as she knelt her head into the stroller. "Looks so much like you two, especially her mum."

Skye immediately shook her head. "She's actually my niece."

Ward had told Skye she didn't have to play "mom" if it made her uncomfortable. And hell if she wasn't going to take that out.

"Really? Well, she definitely inherited some traits from you. How old is she?"

"Honestly?" Skye said. "No clue."

The woman looked puzzled, and that was of course when Grant flipping Ward stepped in.

"I think your sister mentioned she was twelve weeks," he said, with a smile to rival Greek gods that the lady obviously took note of.

"Well, she's honestly lovely," the woman said of the sleeping baby. That's really all the thing seemed to do, sleep. Skye liked that about the kid. "You two have a nice day!"

The woman continued on her way and Skye began pushing the stroller forward again on autopilot. Her mind had so many thoughts muddying it up she could barely tell what was right in front of her face. She nearly ran into a tree.

It was amazing, really, that Ward had surpassed her own imagination in the weird things he'd wanted her for.

It was a miracle she wasn't quaking everything, considering she was so shocked, angry, frustrated, hateful… well, the list went on, and all of those emotions were normally tied to her powers.

She hoped it wasn't some maternal instinct protecting the baby because she wasn't sure how much more of this messed up shit she could take.

"What do you want to do today?" Ward asked suddenly.

"I thought we were doing it?" Skye replied, voice smooth as silk and sweeter than any candy. The kid might have been quite the curve ball, but she wasn't going to let this torture get to her and be the cause of her friends' pain.

Because that's what this situation was. Torture. And the fact that he'd pulled some innocent child into the mix was terrifying, because Skye knew she couldn't leave the girl with him when it was over.

She would agree to take the baby, as she realized she'd have to if he refused to take it back himself from… wherever it had come from. But then what if Ward found out Skye'd given it to the system and it made him angry? What if he came after her again?

Came after _them_ again?

She'd have to explain to Coulson that getting Ward locked up for good would have to be priority number one. She'd never allow this to happen again. To her, or anyone else who got in the way of Ward's "justifications."

He laughed, then. "I think we'll get bored if we just walk around the park all day. Have any interest in Piccadilly Circus?"

Skye raised an eyebrow. "A circus? I don't really think that's a good environment for a baby."

Skye started. Did that really just come out of her mouth? The phrase 'a good environment for a baby' had come out of _her_ mouth?

She honestly needed a punching bag. STAT.

Ward was still smiling as he shook his head. "It's not a circus. It's actually a large area to shop in London. It's pretty famous."

Skye was about to say it didn't matter where they went. Nothing mattered. Because whatever they did, Skye would have a knot in her stomach and now a _child_ forced into her care.

But then an idea materialized out of nowhere in her head.

And maybe it was stupid. It seemed almost definitely pointless. But somehow, a gut feeling told Skye it was important.

She flashed a grin. "Are you buying?"

"Anything you want," he replied automatically, and Skye briefly wondered where he was getting all this money.

Wait. It was probably be ok to voice that question, right?

"And where are you getting this money?" Skye asked curiously, not including the acid her voice yearned to put into it. "Thought you'd quit the Hydra payroll."

"I've gotten a few jobs," Ward told her simply. "C'mon, I think I know a couple shops you'll like."

It bothered Skye, just a little, that twenty minutes later when they arrived in The Sting she liked more of the clothes there than she didn't.

For better or for worse, Ward knew her. And not just from the BUS. He'd seemed to have tracked tiny changes that had happened since she'd began training, because she truly had changed. Her sense of style and just general way of thinking.

It baffled her how he could have such skewed views on the world but be able to read people so fantastically. How could Ward know what she was thinking, how she'd feel about certain things, but then be so phenomenally incorrect on her perceptions of him or even someone such as her father? But somehow, he did. He was a renowned spy and there was no getting around it.

Something else that disturbed her to the core was that he was actually _good_ with the baby. He didn't make Skye do everything. So far the baby had needed to be changed once and he'd been the one to take care of it. He held the baby close, he didn't cringe away.

Skye could honestly say she did not care for the child. She did not want the child. But if anything disturbed her more than a serial killer looking harmless as he held an infant, it was that Skye was allowing him to even get the chance to be near her.

This was why she slightly disliked herself for allowing Ward to push the carriage while she picked out clothes. But Skye was fairly certain that, for now, he would not hurt it.

She picked out so many her hands became bursting with outfits within a half hour. Skye must have seemed dwarfed carrying them around.

But this was how she managed to pickpocket a woman of her cell phone with Ward being none the wiser.

"Skye, how about you go to the fitting rooms?" Ward suggested, and chuckled. "Preferably before you die of clothing suffocation."

"Probably a good suggestion," Skye chimed. _In fact, it's the only good suggestion you've had since I've been here. Possibly ever…_

Ward stayed in the store with the baby as Skye made her way to the fitting rooms. She was well out of earshot. Out of his sight. She was away from his monitoring in any form at all.

The relief was indescribably freeing, though she only had mere moments before she was crushed by the realization that Hunter and Bobbi were still captured and Ward was going around with an orphan child as though it were a prop.

Seriously, where did he get that kid?

Ponderings for later she realized, and quickly thumbed Coulson's number into the phone as she sat on the fitting room bench.

"Hello?"

Skye felt her resistance shatter at the sound of his voice. Her head slowly craned backwards to rest on the wall and she felt tears boil to the surface that she wouldn't allow to fall.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be calling," she said shakily in hushed tones. "I just… I had to hear your voice."

She really should _not_ have been calling. If Ward found out…

"Skye! Are you alright? Where are you?"

"You know I can't tell you…" she mumbled sadly.

"Yes, Skye, you can. Ward he… he returned Morse and Hunter just after you got there, but we had no way to find you."

Skye blinked. "What?"

"_He has no leverage," _Coulson stressed. "Tell me where you are!"

Skye couldn't believe it. All that talk… and they weren't even really with him? Why would he do that?

"I'm at, uh… a place called The Sting in Piccadilly Circus," she said, immediately filling with regret at the words as color drained from her face. "But Coulson! He… he'll kill people if I try to leave. He's already tried to, and… the baby."

There was a pause.

_"__Baby?" _Coulson asked, incredulous and incriminating. "Did he - Skye, are you…?"

"No!" Skye said, almost too loud. How would they have even found out if she were pregnant so quickly? "No. Ward… _acquired_ a baby somehow. I don't know. He's making us take care of it together."

Wow. It sounded even weirder when she said it out loud and to someone who was on the outside of the situation.

And she'd already thought it was pretty damn weird.

"We'll get you back Skye," Coulson promised sadly, his tone making her realize she was sniffing somewhat. "We're mobilizing right now."

"But you can't! He'll hurt people, anyone he can get his hands on! I… I can do this Coulson," she said, frantically through her persistent tears. "I can finish. I can play the game."

Skye wanted Coulson to come get her. She wanted him to come so bad it hurt in her chest, especially when she was telling him not to. But she knew Ward wouldn't let her go.

It was with a horrific awakening that she realized she could have gotten away before. She could have shook that apartment, caught him off guard. She could have done anything if she'd known he hadn't really had a part of her team.

But now she couldn't risk that baby's safety.

And in public, she didn't want to risk _anyone's_ safety.

Because if there was one thing this experience taught her, it was that Grant Ward was more insane than she'd even imagined. And her mind had been creative. But he was just a plain and simple psychopath that would do anything to anyone in order to get what he desired.

And he would feel justified for doing it.

"Skye… what has Ward done to you?"

It was a question laced with such tremendous pity that it stalled her mind, making her realize she'd been overreacting.

Ward hadn't touched her, physically to hurt her or even sexually. He'd just asked her to play a role. The fact that she'd even thought it was torture or reacted the way she had on this phone call was, well, ridiculous!

So she straightened up. Coulson couldn't see her, but it made her voice sound braver. "I can do this," she said firmly, and added in a whisper, "Miss you. See you soon."

Coulson was talking over her last words, but she let them die with the phone as she hung it up.

She picked up one of her shirts she was supposed to be trying on, letting it hang in her hand until she finally took off her own and plopped it on. Ward might be suspicious if she found nothing out of this giant mess of clothing she'd brought in there.

Skye believed she stared at herself in the mirror for longer than any normal person would. But Skye wasn't really sure what normal was anymore, or if she'd ever get it back.

She didn't like the image in front of her. It looked broken and owned and scared, though she was uncertain if she could deny any of those traits about herself. If it wasn't Ward it was her powers oppressing her, and she couldn't find the lines between brave and defeated anymore.

Wasn't that line supposed to be a pretty big one? Life was so confusing now.

But when Skye smiled, the image changed. It almost made herself believe she was only brave, that she had mettle. Damn, she really was a good actress. And if she could fool herself she sure as hell could fool Ward.

It was around the time she was having this realization that there was a horrific cry. Despite having only known it less than a day, she knew the noise had come from the baby in their care.

Skye flew out of the dressing room with the store's shirt still on, coming immediately to an image of Ward cradling the screaming child.

Ward the murderer, the serial killer, the Nazi and traitor was making a baby cry.

And even if she didn't want anything to do with the kid, even if she'd rather pawn it off to the first person that passed her by (surely it would be better off in other hands anyway) she knew the baby was there because of herself.

And Skye knew she had to protect her from Ward.

* * *

**A/n:** Just so you know, Skye didn't turn into a mother bear or anything there. She just simply realized "wow, I'm a shield agent and this innocent is in this mess because of me. Anything that happens to her is my fault so I can't let bad things happen." The baby is more of just a plot tool than a character... in my opinion. Ok, obviously she's a character, a person, she's just going to have "general baby personality."  
Anyway, sorry if it ruined the story for you (I'm usually not happy when babies show up in stories) but this was my original idea and I wasn't sure how to get around it. We'll see how/why Ward has her in the next chapter!

Thank you Shadow375 for the beta!


	5. Lines

**A/n: **Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you guys took the baby so well.

I forgot to mention in the note of the last chapter and it's not _that _important so feel free to skip but… what Skye is going through is something that happens to many people when they are victims of psychological manipulation. They think, "Wow I'm a horrible person even thinking that what I'm going through is bad. He/she never hurt me." (ex- Skye "realizing" that thinking her situation was torture was actually ridiculous while on the phone with Coulson) It's a tactic abusers use to make their victims stay as well as letting the abuser justify to themselves that what they're doing is ok. Even though they're usually aware it's manipulation they don't think of it as abuse or awful. In Ward's case, he was raised by manipulators and trained to lie seamlessly for Hydra. It makes it all the more complex what's right and wrong in his mind.

This struggle for both of them to understand the truth of what's happening is a main point in this story, so I thought I'd let you know what I'm basing it off of :)

**Trigger Warning: Mentions of rape.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**I try not to cross the lines you draw (it's hard when I can't spot them)**

**DAY FIVE**

Grant was impressed with how quickly Skye had warmed up to Daisy when she'd been crying at the clothing store.

Skye had been taking quite a while in the dressing room, but it'd been expected when he saw the mountain of clothing she'd taken in to try on.

In the time she'd been gone Daisy had managed to become restless. First she'd merely started cooing, so Grant thought it had been a happy sound. But soon she was crying and shouting, and no matter what Ward did the girl would not stop.

Skye had come out soon after.

"What did you do to her?" Skye'd asked, rushing forwards and hurriedly scooping the infant out of his hands.

"Nothing," Ward had assured, donning a slightly amused tone at Skye's sudden and obvious concern. Daisy might have been a red-faced mess, but Skye looked beautiful as she tenderly held the infant's head and cradled her body. It was the first time she'd actually carried her.

Skye'd asked if Ward had checked if the child was hungry or wet. He of course had done these things and answered yes to both, but explained that neither had been the reason for the infant's sobbing. Skye abruptly started checking Daisy for injuries, near paranoid as she looked her over from head to toe.

It had been adorable.

Skye'd even asked if she could not be restrained that night so she could take care of Daisy if she woke. And as much as he would have liked to indulge Skye of her request, Grant didn't think that would be the best call.

Ward was diligent, but Skye was clever. The reason Grant had never slipped up with missions in the past was because he'd always taken extra precautions. Making sure Skye had no access to technology at night assured him she would not find out that he did not truly have Hunter and Morse anymore.

Daisy was a much more active baby at night than she was during the day. She cried more than she didn't. Skye was unable to gather the child from the crib to fit her needs whenever the infant called to them, but she always seemed to wake anyhow when Daisy cried. And Ward was fairly certain that along with Skye's wary eyes she kept on him whenever he went to pick the infant up, a look of smugness graced her face.

The baby finally got some rest in the morning. Ward and Skye took the opportunity to workout, as though through a silent acknowledgment they agreed they must retain their muscles. Skye opted out of using his equipment he offered, though he was aware she'd used it when he was out picking up Daisy from 33. He'd seen the feed. Skye just didn't want to openly show herself using it in front of him for some reason. He guessed that she merely didn't want to give him an inch, still.

Girl really was stubborn.

After that he gave Skye the choice of Big Ben, London Eye, or the Natural History Museum. Somewhat surprisingly, she opted for the museum again.

"Is it because they have dinosaurs there?" Ward asked.

"No," she scoffed.

"Hey, dinosaurs are pretty cool."

"It's not the dinosaurs!"

He just smiled.

It definitely was the dinosaurs.

"So seriously, what kind of jobs have you been up to?" Skye asked, walking beside him as he pushed the stroller into the main hall of the museum. It was a large room in a somewhat beautiful building, old with grandeur architecture and a complete dinosaur skeleton at the center.

"Just freelance work," he told her lightly.

"Yeah but like, freelance work _with_ your skillset?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"Ok, so a mercenary. Killer for hire."

"I guess you could call it that."

"Killed anyone interesting lately?"

He rolled his eyes, but damn if this woman couldn't keep the smirk off his face with her mere attitude. "Skye…"

"C'mon, we can talk about this! You wanted it to be like a first date, and occupational questions are definitely on that repertoire. Plus, you said you wanted me to know the real you."

"Ok ok, guess you got me," he said, and truly found himself running through his head for an answer. "No one all too interesting, I guess. I did have a mark on a man who'd sexually assaulted the client's daughter to death. That one was at least satisfying."

Skye didn't speak for a moment. When he finally looked to her it was as though she was trying to read his face. Staring straight through him.

"What?" he asked.

She quickly adverted her eyes, as though just realizing she'd been doing it. "I just… I guess I was wondering why you found it satisfying?"

He blinked at her. "That's a horrible thing to happen to anyone, especially for no reason. It had just been some random attack and she was _sixteen_. I was happy to at least give the man some peace."

She brought her gaze down from Grant, staring ahead while they walked as though puzzled. Dwelling.

"So… you're not a fan of rape, then?" she asked.

He could have choked on his own saliva. "What- of course not! You think I'd like something like that?" He paused, horror struck realization freezing him. "Did you think I was going to do that to _you_?"

She turned her eyes downward and spoke softly. "Are we still playing the game, or…"

"Tell the truth. Please."

Her eyes snapped up to him, suddenly fierce. "How could I have any idea what you were going to do to me?"

He quit pushing the stroller.

"I would never," he vowed.

She rubbed her arm nervously, avoiding his eyes as her boldness quieted. "You know, a lot of Hydra soldiers have… are sexual predators."

That was actually a fact Ward had known for a long time. And one he'd never been comfortable with.

People in jail, in prison, were often sought out to be recruited. Murderers, rapists… They were ideal candidates because they usually sought power and were obviously prepared to stray from their moral compass in order to get it. As a bonus, these people often gained inherit loyalty to Hydra for freeing them.

But Ward had always seen them as a sort of scum because many had done such things without excuse. And unless torture was necessary for recovering information, Grant didn't see any reasons for sexual abuse.

"I'm sorry you were that scared of that. You_ never_ have to be scared of that when you're with me."

Skye's brow furrowed as she stared a moment, before releasing a heavy, near grieving sigh.

"What's wrong?" Ward asked. She looked near distraught.

She sighed again. "I just don't… get it, Ward."

"What?"

"How can you be so against violating someone's privacy in_ that_ way, but you're completely fine with keeping me here with you?"

Ward scoffed at the ridiculous comparison. "Those are two completely different circumstances."

"No they're not," Skye said firmly, shaking her head. "You're taking my power and choice away from me, isn't that what _they_ do? Force people to… _preform_ for them against their will," she spat in revulsion.

Revulsion obviously directed towards him as well.

"I haven't touched you," he said, his voice getting a little heated at what she was insinuating. "All I'm asking you is to try and see things with an open mind. The fact that you're comparing this to victims of rape is… I'm sorry, but it's kind of pretentious."

Her tightly knit face softened as he watched her grapple with understanding.

"Yeah…" she mumbled, gazing ahead of herself. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Well.

That was the first thing she'd openly seen clearly since this experience started. Just when he was starting to lose hope. Despite its rocky beginnings maybe there was a chance for this to work after all.

"Ready to keep going?" Ward asked.

Skye answered without looking at him, her eyes staring sightlessly ahead. "Yeah."

Ward began pushing the carriage.

"Where'd you get the baby, Ward?" Skye asked abruptly, still not having moved from place.

He stopped. "I'm not going to tell you that, Skye."

"Did you kidnap it?"

_"__Her."_

"Did you kidnap her? Are there some terrified parents out there waiting for a hit on an Amber Alert?"

Ward stared at her. "No."

"You really couldn't have adopted her… that takes forever, I would know," she mused, seemingly to herself. "Did you buy her off like, a baby black market?"

"No!"

"What about after this is over?" Skye asked. "You do realize that you're going to have to take her back wherever you got her from, right?"

"She can't go back."

"Why? No refunds?"

"She just _can't."_

"She has to!" Skye insisted.

"Fine," he growled, his face turning towards Skye so it was only an inch away from her own. "I'll take the kid back and then she'll die. Will that finally make you happy?"

Skye was searching his eyes. He wasn't sure what they were looking for. But whatever it was they'd found it, because she stopped probing after only a few moments. A hand clasped over her mouth.

"You killed them," she whispered in awe. "_You_ killed her parents!"

Ward bristled. "We shouldn't be discuss-"

"They were targets! Oh my god,_ that's_ why we can't leave London. You couldn't smuggle the kid out, so you brought _me_ to _you_. You killed an infant's parents and took the baby to give to me as some deranged _gift!"_

"No, I took the baby because she was a mark too," Ward hissed, and Skye stilled. She obviously became curious of the real story. She'd guessed correctly of course, smart as she was, but as usual she'd come to the wrong conclusion behind his reasoning.

"I was ordered to take out the family," Ward explained. "All three people in that house were my charge. And yes, I did get rid of the first two easily enough." Ward sighed. "But a kid, a damn _baby_, was never a part of the deal. I didn't have the heart to put her down."

She scoffed. "Well there's something we can agree on," Skye mumbled. "Definitely no heart in there…"

His mouth popped open in disbelief. "How do you not understand? I saved her life!"

"After being the one to put her in jeopardy," Skye said. "And then you, playing God with what's justified and what's not, decided you deserved to keep her."

He laughed at the sheer ridiculousness. "Deserved? I was doing them a favor."

"A favor for who, Ward, the corpses?" she asked. "Or the government funded foster system? Because let me tell you, the government are gonna be all over a missing child case anyhow."

"A favor for Daisy," Ward said. "She would have ended up in the system, as likely as not. I wanted to spare her that life."

_I would have loved to spare you of the same._

Truly, Ward figured he'd been doing a favor for Skye as well as Daisy. Giving an orphan to a girl who'd grown up as one... he'd assumed would make her happy, thinking about what she was saving the child of. But that obviously wasn't the case and voicing it would only anger her further.

"Did you know?" Skye asked firmly. "Did you know the third mark was a baby before you took the parents out?"

Ward stiffened.

"Yes."

"You're despicable."

"They were bad people Skye, of course I looked into it first. Money floundering and causing thousands of good people to-"

"They were _parents_ and you ruined a child's life for _money_," Skye exclaimed. "You know I wish you truly thought yourself as Hydra. Believed in their _purpose_." She put air quotes around the word. "At least that way you'd have one to go along with all these massive excuses for your actions."

He'd already dragged them into a corner where there were not many people around, but slamming his hand onto the wall in frustration still turned a few heads. "See this is why I didn't tell you," he hissed. "You wouldn't understand."

"You're right, I don't. Just like everything else you're trying to make me understand," Skye said. "Honestly, I don't know why you didn't just _lie."_

"Because I promised I'd never lie to you again."

She laughed at that. "Oh yeah? Then how about you tell me again how even though it isn't right in front of me, the threat to Bobbi and Hunter is very _real_."

Oh.

Well shit.

"How'd you find out?" he asked. There was no way he was going to play dumb. He respected her intelligence more than that.

"Stole a phone at Piccadilly," she said evenly. "You were too damn busy living in this fantasy you created to even notice."

"Why haven't you left," he growled.

"Why didn't you keep them?" she asked in return. "You had them. The feed you showed them to me on was untraceable, but it wasn't a fabricated image."

"Because contrary to what you think of me Skye, I don't want to hurt people unnecessarily. Especially those you care about," he told her, hoping to gain a positive reaction. All he got were scrutinizing eyes. "I'm not the monster you've created in your head about me."

She scoffed. "_You _were the one who told me you had them. You told me you'd hurt them! So who's the one creating monsters here?"

"You only believed what I said because you already thought the worst of me," he said. "Now, why didn't you leave when you found out that wasn't the case?"

Ward knew it wasn't because she wanted to be there with him. That might have been the end goal, but Ward wasn't delusional enough to see that she'd gotten anywhere near understanding his way of thinking.

"Because I wasn't going to leave a serial killer with a child," Skye said, eyes beginning to tear though her chin tilted up with defiance. "But the first chance I had to get both of us away… I hope you have no doubts that _we_ would have, even if it took more than four bullets to take you down this time."

God fucking damn it. Damn _her. _She made him so fucking _angry_, and yet all he found himself wanting to do was press his lips to hers. Her head was in the perfect position to do so. Maybe that was why the inconveniently timed thought popped into his head at all. He wanted to bite that lip until it bled, giving her pain that would only leave her begging for more. He wanted to douse that flame of defiance just a little, but he wanted it to be on her terms as much as his.

That's what this whole damn thing was for, wasn't it? He didn't want her like this forever. This was just a means to an end, a way for her to see who he really was.

He'd taken what he wanted. He had Skye._ She_ had to be the one to give him her understanding or it wasn't worth anything.

But it was becoming clear she'd never see things the right way.

He grabbed her chin roughly. She didn't flinch.

"_What_ am I going to do with you?" he asked near desperately, shaking her only slightly in frustration.

"I don't know," she said quickly, her jaw just barely moving his fingers. "But I'm guessing you'll have some sort of _reasoning_ behind whatever it is."

Quick as a cat, her hand shot out to reach for his sidearm.

He was faster though, catching her wrist and yanking it up her back, simultaneously slamming her front against the wall as he pressed his weight onto her.

"You didn't follow the terms when you thought your friends' lives were in danger and now you're making reckless moves for my firearm?" he said as she jerked against him, his tight-lidded frustration becoming more and more apparent as it loosened. "Stupidity doesn't look good on you Skye. Maybe try thinking about your actions more before following through on them."

_"__Sorry,"_ she said with a voice dripping of venom. "Guess I'm just a little more than desperate to get away from you, _sweetie."_

She still saw him as the bad guy. Through everything he'd told her, everything he'd shown her, she still only saw these damn preconceived notions she'd conjured up when she found out he was Hydra.

Ward knew what he was. And as far as he was from as saint he sure as hell wasn't a villain or a monster.

Maybe Skye needed to be shown what she made him out to be in her mind, so she could see how far that man was from the truth. From what he'd been showing her these passed days.

The gun felt heavy in his hand.

He'd show her a monster.

Ward spun her around so her back was on the wall, placing the muzzle to the gun under her chin. He felt a small tremor from the shock of the weapon touching her before she locked it down.

"You think I'm evil," he said. "You think I'm the bad guy. I'm not the bad guy. I've _never _been the bad guy. All I've been is a survivor."

She shook her head minutely under his weapon as dark eyes blazed on her face, defiance always shining through for her.

"What happens next is on you. I would never do something like this if you would just _get it_," he whispered harshly, drawing closer to her. Her gaze shifted sideways. "So I'm gonna show you what the bad guy looks like, Skye. Then you'll appreciate me for who I really am."

Skye's eyes quickly grew large as he whipped the weapon away from her, pointing it to the ceiling where he fired three shots.

There were a few panicked screams but none were louder than his own voice.

"Everybody get on the ground! Now!" Ward shouted. He couldn't help but smirk at the sheer ridiculousness of his next words, spoken as casually as ever. "No need to be alarmed but _this_ is a stick up."

He wasn't used to doing these things without a plan, but he'd never have even dreamt of it. There had always been a reason, something to think through first. But Skye needed to see what she'd imagined.

She had backed up into the wall, hands spread behind her as fresh horror plastered onto her face while she absorbed the scene. She visibly swallowed.

Yes, this was the way to get through to her.

The room grew quiet of the scared mumblings as Ward pointed his weapon throughout the room, only leaving Daisy's screams to be the last terrified noise left echoing through the halls.

* * *

**A/n**: Um… casual reminder that this has a pretty angsty ending and is not entirely happy. Also, just one chapter left plus the epilogue!

So I've taken Ward's "I'll just take what I want" comment to Skye from the s1 finale as a threat to physically take her, not rape her. Though, it could completely comply with this story that at the time he'd said it he'd convinced himself that if he started having sex with her she would start to like it and it wouldn't be rape... point is I've made him anti-rape.

Thank you soooo much for reading and reviewing!


	6. Monster

**A/n: **

There is a **WARNING **at the end for the faint of heart, though it will **SPOIL** this chapter for you.

Prepare for **unhappiness and despair and conflicted feelings**! Alright have fun reading :D

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**My monster believes he's a knight (though I'm more beast than princess)**

**DAY FIVE** **(Part Two)**

Ward took out the security guards first.

There were only three of them while Grant Ward was a one-man army. He was probably the equivalent of a dozen trained government agents and they didn't stand a chance.

She tried to run. Or rather, she tried to prepare to run. The moment she went to pick up the baby from the stroller Ward geared his gun on some random bystander, who'd only been doing exactly what had been ordered as they sat cowering on the floor. Ward made sure the threat that was chronically in the air was made crystal clear to Skye once again.

This was a show. It was all done for her; every single person that had been turned into his puppet was drawn into this because of her.

She started quaking the place at first, unintentionally, and for a moment she thought it could be used as a tactic.

But Ward was not one to be distracted by something he'd already accounted for as a variable and there were many loose objects that put people in harm's way. She'd had to try and stop, whatever way she could in such a dire situation.

If only she knew how to _control _her earthquakes. If only she could open a fissure or just shake him until his heart burst from his chest.

She wouldn't be so fucking useless.

Then there was the baby girl. That poor, unfortunate child that had fallen into Grant Ward's hands, the one who'd barely cried before. Because, bless the creature, she seemed to save it for when Ward was the only one who could answer her. As though she was aware he would not hurt her, as the baby only wanted to unburden Skye however she was able. Only making a fuss for the wronged party.

Now the child wouldn't stop sobbing. And there was no way for Skye to get to her.

Skye was on her knees, mirroring the hoard of people in front of her. The unfortunate difference being that she had her hands cuffed behind her on the banister of the stairs. Whether Ward did this because he saw her as the only true threat or because he was making a show of his supremacy over her, she didn't know.

"You know when I was your age, I liked to play baseball. You like baseball?" Ward asked. The terrified child seated on the man's lap hesitated only a moment before shaking his head no. "Huh. What do you like?"

"F-football."

"_Ahh,"_ Ward said, smiling as he nodded. "You like to get physical, huh? Tackling and all that?" The boy opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly as he rethought it. Ward caught the gesture. "Oh, sorry, that's my bad. You meant soccer." He grinned again. "Us Americans always getting it wrong. Soccer's- or, _football's_ pretty cool too. What about you Skye, baseball or soccer?"

Skye winced as Ward brought the attention to her again, though she supposed it was better than being on the eight year old. Still, whenever his concentration shifted to her Ward automatically seemed much more sinister. Or angry or frustrated. Some negative emotion that couldn't be good for a kid he was currently holding.

Ward sat on the stairs as though a king in front of subjects, holding his gun lazily but poised to strike at anyone's movement. And Skye was to his right hand side, chained up like a captured princess or the palace pet.

Yes, she realized, this was definitely a power play. Maybe she'd been trying to make herself feel better by thinking she was some kind of threat to him.

"Ward, you have to stop this," she tried, her voice firm but attempting not to anger him past the fury lying dormant beneath his skin. "I'm sorry," she added desperately. She didn't know what else to do.

"Just answer the question Skye. It's an opinion, not rocket science."

The way he pulled the boy closer, just a little too fast and a little too hard, told her she had no choice.

"Soccer," she said finally.

Ward snapped his fingers in an "aw shucks" gesture and shrugged. "Guess you win, kid."

"What are you doing?" Skye dared to ask through desperately closed eyes.

"Well, you see," he said casually, "I'm doing what you should have been doing all week. Looking at things from a fresh perspective."

Skye didn't understand. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she capable.

"I tried."

"Eh, you tried a little, Skye," he told her. "You were too busy keeping your mind focused on things of the past." He wrapped an arm around the shoulder of the child, jostled him like they were buddies. "You see, I'm thinking I'm kinda fond of little Aiden here after getting to know him._ Or_, I could throw away my new perspective on things and just think back to the crying annoyance he was when I brought him up here and… let loose the monster you've always thought of me as."

He put a gun up to the child's head, though it must have been by the mercy of god that it was out of the kid's eye line.

Unfortunately, it was a crystal clear sight to his mother.

"Aiden!" she shouted, standing off the ground.

"Ah, ah, ah, Mrs. Bryce," Ward chided. "We don't want Aiden here thinking it's ok to be disobedient."

His charming voice was laced with so much malice and threat, even the child started.

"Mummy?"

"It's ok, Aiden," the woman cooed, kneeling back down out of fear for her son. "Just do what he says."

"I'm sorry Ward, you're right," Skye blurted. Maybe if she tried reasoning with him… showing she understood his justifications. "Even if I didn't agree with what you've done, you only thought those things were ok because of what Garrett taught you. And what your family did to you… You had reasons for everything you did before and it was stupid of me not to see them."

Ward scrutinized her. "You're just saying that now, you don't believe it. I'm not an idiot."

"No, I'm-"

"You see this kid, Skye?" Ward asked playfully, looking over the blonde child. "So young, full of potential. What would you say if I took him under my wing…" He chuckled. "Let him be my _ward, _so to speak."

Skye's face grew in horror.

"You see? The thought scared you. Because you still think I'm a_ bad guy_. But the thing is, if I really did train him for fifteen years I bet you'd give him the benefit of the doubt once you saw the killer he turned out to be. All because you knew what kind of_ man_ raised him."

Skye shook her head. "You had a choice."

"Oh, I'll give him a choice," Ward said, directing his sights back on the child. "Aiden," Ward appealed so sweetly, "would you rather come learn how to be a cool spy agent with me _or_… never make it out here?"

The boy's lip started to quiver.

"Hey," Ward cooed. "It's only a rhetorical question."

"Wh-what's rhetorical?"

"Make believe. Just a pretend question."

He relaxed at that. "Well, I wouldn't wanna not leave or… d-die... so-"

Ward didn't give him the chance to finish.

"See Skye? There's your choice."

"That's hardly a choice, Ward," she dared to spit at him.

"Neither was mine," he told her determinedly.

Maybe the fear of the situation had gone to her head or Skye had finally just lost it… but Ward actually made a lick of sense here.

He really hadn't had much of a choice. What kid wouldn't take what Garrett had laid out in front of him? Skye'd been in juvie. If Garrett had come to her, would she be in Ward's shoes today? Would she have stayed with Hydra?

Somehow, she still didn't think so. She honestly didn't think she had it in her.

But she definitely wasn't sure.

And after fifteen years, she probably _would_ have given that kid a free pass at first. At least one second-chance, knowing that someone like Ward had basically brainwashed him. She would have most likely tried to teach him what was truly right, instead of the lies Ward would fill his head with, and _then_ allow the kid to determine what path to take.

If she'd given Ward a single chance to redeem himself… would he have taken it? Had she put all these innocent people in danger because she hadn't attempted to undo manipulation when it was possible, and clear in front of her face?

Whatever the answer was, that chance was gone. Ward's crimes had climbed too high, passed given orders to aid his mentor and onto personal vendettas. S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't protect him from what he'd done when he murdered his family.

That was not trained. That was not manipulation. To kill your own blood…

That was maniacal.

Skye was yanked from her thoughts as a high-pitched ringing filled the hall, obviously that of a phone. It wasn't surprising. Ward hadn't taken anyone's cells because there had been no reason to. The police knew he had hostages and had already attempted to speak to him through a megaphone. Ward had threatened if they tried that again he'd immediately put a bullet through someone's head. They'd been quiet since.

He knew how to play this. And though Skye had no clue in hell how he intended to get out of it, she knew it would be on his terms and his terms only.

Until the first phone wasn't the only one in the place ringing.

Every single person's cell started to chime. Even Ward's.

Ward only looked mildly amused at this occurrence, bringing out his phone at casually to look at the number.

He patted the child on the back. "Hey, I've gotta take this. Why don't you go sit next to Skye? She likes kids."

Aiden nodded nervously and bounded away from Ward as quickly as possible, hurrying over to Skye. He tentatively sat next to her on the stairs, holding his knees as she heard him trying to hold back sniffles.

"Hey, it's gonna be ok," Skye rushed a whisper to the kid just as Ward picked up the phone.

"_Hello, _British Museum of Natural History," Ward said conversationally. "May I help you?"

"How about we help you, Ward?"

Ward smiled, his eyes landing on Skye immediately. "Hey Coulson, I thought it might be you. Nice trick by the way, calling everyone in the vicinity." He took the phone away from his ear and pressed a finger to screen before offering it to Skye's face. "Say hi to your director, Skye."

She glanced at Ward only to send him a glare of pure hatred, before zoning in on the device in front of her.

"Coulson…" she started cautiously, before running her mouth as quickly as possible, "there's over a hundred hostages, facing the south entrance in the front room –"

Ward took the phone away, holding it to in front of his chin as he kept it on speaker. "She's just_ so_ sentimental. Bet she could sweet talk to you for hours…"

"What is it that you want Ward?" Coulson asked. "We know you're not going to deal with the police, so how about us?"

Ward was pacing. "I really don't _want_ anything, Coulson," he said. "I'm just trying to show you how much power I'm capable of having, but haven't used without good reason."

"You call taking hostage a museum full of people 'nothing'?"

"Nah. I call the fact that I took two hundred people hostage by myself without any preparation '_skill'_," said Ward. "I could have done this whenever I wanted, and I didn't. But it's still what you've all been so afraid of, isn't it? That I'm a serial killer?"

"So you decided proving us right was the way to go?" Skye sneered. His attention was immediately drawn away from the device.

"I'm proving you wrong Skye," Ward hissed back, getting into her face.

He was beginning to get frustrated with her. His tone a little lower, more dangerous. She could never tell how many steps she had left before she was already over the edge with him.

"Don't you get it? This is what you've been waiting for, Skye!" he exclaimed, near forgetting the phone that had dropped to his side, gesturing around with the gun. "That I'd just kill innocent people without any reasons. And Skye, maybe if you believe hard enough… dreams can come true."

Skye wasn't sure if he was bluffing. She could never be sure.

The baby cried louder and the hostages mumbled their frightened noises.

"No Ward," Skye pronounced as she shook her head. "What you've done… it's so much worse than that."

"Worse than killing innocents at random?" he asked, gesturing to the little boy that had all but huddled into her side.

Skye nodded in affirmation. "Yes. Because somehow you think it's ok. The fact that you can justify your actions makes you so much more dangerous and delusional than the _worst_ serial killer."

Ward cocked his head. "So… you're rethinking my status as serial killer. Guess we could count that as a step."

"Like I said, Ward. You're _worse._"

He just stared at her. Hard. Unrelenting. If looks could kill, they would have.

Though, he had a gun to do that.

Skye tried to tone down the attitude in her voice. There were literally hundreds of people counting on her to talk them out of this and maybe a harsh tone was not helping diffuse the bomb that was Grant Ward's anger.

Plus Coulson kept silent. He was probably relying on her, too.

"Don't you see?" she implored. "I never thought you'd do something like you're insinuating you're about to do here. This random without profit stuff. I just can't and will never agree with the reasons you had when you did make the decision to hurt people."

She tried to say it softly. Tried to communicate with that tiny sense of logic within him. However skewed it might be, she believed she was beginning to see how his reasoning worked.

The baby girl's crying was the only thing that filled the room for long moments. Of course it was. Every other child had someone taking care of them. Ward took that from this girl, pushed her off to the side all alone.

"Alright," he said finally, after what seemed like eons. "I still believe you would be able to see, if I gave you enough time. But if not…" He raised the gun to Skye's head. Right between the eyes. Cocked it.

Aiden was still holding her.

She couldn't breathe.

"Maybe I'll just tie up loose ends," he said smoothly.

"Ward," Skye heard Coulson's voice through the phone. "Think about what you're-"

Ward cut him off in a frustrated growl followed by what Skye could only describe as a deranged laugh.

"So you really think I'd do it?" he exclaimed in genuine surprise. "I can't believe you people! Skye? _Kill _Skye? Even if she hates me forever I could never do that."

His eyes grazed over her like she was something precious. Irreplaceable.

This worshipping attention made her fear him far more than anything else he'd ever done to her.

He sighed, disappointment coating his face. "I wouldn't want you to be with me forever against your will, Skye. Not passed the point of your understanding," he told her. "But the kid… he wouldn't mind after a while. And maybe I could use a trainee."

Ward reached over and grabbed Aiden's hand, pulling him away from Skye.

"No!" she cried, sitting back up to her knees to make herself taller.

There were cries and shouts from the people just moments later, and Skye realized she had begun was shaking the building. Ward laughed.

"Oh, have I not gotten everyone acquainted yet?" said Ward. "This is Skye. And Skye is _very _special."

She sat back on her haunches again and tried to calm her mind, calm herself of everyone looking at her so she could stop it. How Ward was about to plain reveal her secret to people at gunpoint.

She couldn't even keep track of the emotions running through her head. But she knew one thing: he was _pissed_ at her.

Skye could only_ imagine_ what S.H.I.E.L.D. was doing right now. Debating whether to try and take him out, wondering if Skye had a play up her sleeve, or if Ward truly wouldn't hurt anyone that played along. There were many variables and they were probably biding their time. But surely they were at least there _somewhere._

Right?

"Skye has some powers she's got a little trouble controlling," Ward continued in a presenter's voice. She felt her cheeks flush as though she were a child. "When she gets upset she can't seem to help it. Kinda like the Hulk." He looked down at the kid. "Pretty cool, huh Aiden? Unfortunately that can get destructive."

He walked in front of her so that she could only see his boots and the small shoes just next to them. The sight only made her quake harder. She couldn't help it.

"How about you lock that down?" Ward commanded.

She leered up at him with a spiteful expression, only to immediately bear her sights downward once again. Surely his face wouldn't help stop the shaking.

But then, there was no greater motivator to stop this than that of Grant Ward.

She whipped her head up and stared into his eyes. She focused on hate. A smooth, flowing hatred that she felt for the man and not the jostled mess of fear and nerves that caused the quaking.

And it stopped, just like that.

"Good job, Skye," Ward complimented.

Ward's hand on the little boy wasn't hard, merely draped around his shoulder as though guiding him. Aiden must have noticed this. He ducked away from Ward, running towards Skye to wrap his arms around her middle.

"It's gonna be ok," he whispered in assurance.

_He_ whispered to _her_.

Her mind stalled at the sudden affection, though she attempted hugging the child back. She could only accomplish increasing the pressure of her chin as it lay on his back.

She looked up to her captor. "I'll come with you."

Ward scoffed. "I'm pretty sure our deal has expired."

Skye didn't know what that meant. She didn't want to know what that meant. If he wasn't trying to get her to keep playing the game… what was he doing? And she still had no idea how the hell he was intending to get out of here unscathed.

"You're right, I can't control my powers," she said. "But I'm better around you. They stop easier."

Ward eyed her up and down, as though trying not to get excited on the prospect. As though he didn't want to misinterpret it. "So?"

"So if you're looking for someone to train, train me," she insisted. "I won't fight. You don't need leverage. I'll just come with you."

"You'd really wanna do that?" Ward asked curiously.

Skye could only blink back tears as she fiercely nodded. Aiden was still hugging her.

If she had any hopes that Coulson would stick up for her, tell Ward not to take her, they were crushed. The director didn't make a sound. She wasn't sure she even had such hopes anymore though. Her rescue in San Juan only blew up in their faces and now she wasn't even an active agent.

Really, Ward would be doing them a favor.

Ward shrugged so nonchalantly Skye could swear they were discussing something as casual as fucking Cake Boss. "Alright then. Aiden, head on back to your mom. It was good talking with you."

The little boy gave Skye an extra squeeze, as though reminding her to be brave, before bounding back to his mother eagerly.

He was the brave one, for certain.

Ward unlocked her handcuffs and hauled her up before taking a few steps away, making sure to gear the gun at his audience. He knew that was Skye's best motivator.

But it gave her a chance to see Aiden showered in kisses by his massively relieved mother. Skye treasured the precious allowance of comfort it gave her heart.

Ward scanned for the exit as he began to move, gesturing Skye to come with him. "Grab Daisy and we'll get out of here."

Skye stopped following him. "No. If we're doing this, S.H.I.E.L.D. gets the baby."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Ward laughed harshly. "_S.H.I.E.L.D.?_ Do you even realize the irony of _you_ saying that?" he asked.

_Well… not until you just said that_, thought Skye.

"Coulson's not going to redact her files and hide her away, he's going to find where she's supposed to go."

Ward rolled his eyes with a sigh, bringing the phone dangling in his arm closer to his mouth. "You hear that, Director? You've been awfully quiet while your compromised agent negotiates for you."

There was a beat. "That's because she's perfectly capable of it. What am I agreeing to, Skye?"

Skye stepped forward. "Taking a baby. Ward killed her parents," she told him disdainfully.

Ward scoffed. "C'mon Skye. When you say it like that it sounds so bad."

"Done," said Coulson. "We'll pick her up after you've vacated the premises."

Skye gulped. This was actually going to happen. Coulson was really letting her go with Ward.

Forever.

"Can't say I won't miss her," Ward lamented. "Got kind of used to having her around. But I guess it's just you and me, kid."

He wrapped an arm around Skye's neck, which could have been a friendly gesture. But she felt the metal of the gun poised under her chin that came with it.

"Just for show," he whispered so tenderly she certainly believed it. She was almost afraid he was going to kiss her forehead or something, his tone held so much care.

Ward then loudened his voice enough that her ear gained a heartbeat when he shouted so close to her. "Alright, it's almost over, folks! We're just gonna head out of here and you can all finish looking at the dinosaurs… and whatever else there is." He paused. Looked down at Skye. "Seriously, is there anything else worth a damn here?"

Skye didn't even have the strength to be annoyed with him anymore, she felt so numb.

As they started towards the door, Skye gave one last glance at Dais-

_The baby. _Not Daisy, the_ baby._

Her name was not Daisy and would never be. That was thrust unfairly upon her, just as everything was thrust onto her since Ward stepped into her life. Still, somehow the baby had quieted herself even to give Skye a smile, a proper send off. One with hope.

Ward walked them out, creating a pathway through the hostages.

But it wasn't just him making the path.

A small fissure erupted behind them as they passed. Small and fickle and near unnoticeable. Skye knew what it was though. It was pent up fear and anger her powers made clear as it trailed just at her feet.

But,_ just_ at her feet.

She realized she_ could_ do something about this.

Skye slammed her foot onto the ground and the floor blew into pieces beneath her. Just beneath her foot. Just enough to catch Ward and nothing else.

Everything shook, and they weren't the lightest of tremors, but people could deal.

Ward hadn't been expecting the sudden move and fought to find his balance. He hadn't been prepared to use his gun, he hadn't even armed it. It was just a prop when pointed at Skye and she'd taken comfort in that fact when she'd risked this.

She grabbed the weapon easily from him. Geared it on him.

Skye grit her lip and scrunched her nose, probably looking as wild as she felt. The walls wouldn't stop shaking. She didn't want them to.

Ward lifted his hands to pacify her.

"Skye-"

"You're not in charge anymore," Skye growled. "Hands behind your head and get on your knees."

"You said you'd come," he mumbled, sounding more than a little begrudged. She scoffed.

"I never made a 'no lies' promise, Ward. You did, and you were also the one who_ broke_ it. Now get _down_."

Ward lowered himself down while the people already on their knees bristled. Panic rose in the air with their voices but they still didn't run.

Why the hell wouldn't they go? Didn't they see that she was in control now?

Or did they believe she was a monster too?

And Skye realized it was foolish for her to think they wouldn't see her that way. She was making the walls shake and the earth quake; for all they knew she was a demon. Maybe the hostages thought Ward had been protecting them _from_ her, as she'd been trussed in chains.

He might have been insane but that didn't ensure her to be anything more than a wild animal to these people.

"Go!" she shouted to everyone around, though her eyes never left Grant Ward. "Leave, get out of here!"

The people were galvanized. They picked up their children and hurried away, leaving Ward and Skye to be the still center in this masterpiece of chaos.

Skye couldn't see the baby. But from her peripherals she made out the stroller just barely being jostled by the quakes. As soon as she finished with Ward she'd go help the child and put an end to this nightmare.

"Do you think you're going to shoot me again, Skye?" Ward asked calmly. As though daring her to do something he was positive she wouldn't.

It was cocky and pretentious, and it only made Skye grip the gun harder.

"Make one wrong move and I will."

Ward smirked. "I believe that," he said. "But just like last time, you'd never shoot somewhere critical."

"Don't count on it," she grit out.

"Oh I will," he said. "I know how it feels. You can't kill me for the same reason I can't kill you."

She scoffed. "There's a difference. I'm not the one who's _obsessed_!"

"I know you made it pretty clear that whatever I thought there was between us, the feeling wasn't mutual. But that was just on the surface. Maybe you can't feel it over all this Hydra crap, but there's something. There's a reason a killer like you couldn't and can't take me out."

Skye stood frigid. "I'm not a killer."

"Yes you are," he said as though it was an obvious point she was missing. "Donnie Gill?" He paused a moment to let her absorb that. She couldn't defend herself on that front because it was undeniable. "And even if you hadn't crossed off your first mark yet, that would still be what you're training for. The only reason you don't feel the title applies to you is because somehow you think S.H.I.E.L.D.'s justifications are better than anyone else's."

How was it was it that when Skye finally turned the gun on him, was supposed to make him feel _powerless, _Ward made more sense than ever before?

Because in truth, she'd felt_ wrong_ killing Donnie. She'd felt it the moment it happened and only so much more when she'd developed her own abilities. If Gifteds got out of hand, shoot first and ask questions later.

She used to think that was Hydra's policy.

The threads of Skye's mind were quickly unweaving as all she'd come to accept and hold true were questioned, though somehow she held on to the core belief. Grant Ward, underneath it all, was still certifiably psychotic. Even if it wasn't his fault he'd ended up that way.

Even if she was just as bad.

"Skye!"

Coulson's shout pulled her out of her thoughts. Though she didn't move an inch to look at him, she registered through corner vision that he was still all the way across the room, fighting his way through a panicked hoard of people.

Ward took the distraction.

He reached forward, regained his gun and, to her shame, managed to sweep Skye to the floor as he got himself back on his feet. Her mind was in tatters and exhausted from not only today's events but from the constant degradation of the past week, but there was no excuse to how easily she'd fallen.

When Ward aimed at Coulson though, she'd never picked herself up faster.

"No!" she roared through a primeval growl, leaping to barrel into his stomach and knock them both to the ground as the gun went flying. His head met with the vibrating floor harshly as she landed on top him. He looked shaken from the hit and she grabbed him by the shoulders to pick his head up and slam it down once again to continue the assault.

"You're. Not. In charge_. Anymore_!" she shouted, now slamming fist after fist into his face. She was getting lost in her anger and soon enough he grabbed her wrists to still her. She then used the knee that was poised just a little too high for her liking on his body and jammed it into his abdomen.

Seemingly unaffected, he shoved her backwards while still holding her wrists and lifted a leg to wrap around her stomach, forcing her down backwards as he released her hands. Skye's head hit the floor in a motion that made her see stars.

She was pinned to the ground under the weight of Ward's leg on her torso, but her own legs were free enough to get a fierce heel kick to his chest. She heard gasped air burst free of his lungs and took the opportunity to push out from under him.

But the moment she was free of his iron grip, he had grasped around her lower legs to flip her onto her stomach so hard her nose hit the ground with a bounce. He yanked her arm up behind herself and placed a knee on her lower back to hold her still.

"You sure have come a long way," he said proudly, as though they were sparring and he was still just her helpful SO. "But there's still room for improvement. I was hoping S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have influenced their one-outlook way of thinking so quickly onto someone like you." She struggled and seethed beneath him as she felt him shrug. "Guess I was wrong. I really am sorry about this, Skye."

The last comment was spoken with such a soft voice she believed in his remorse.

But then he wove rough fingers through her hair as he pulled her upwards, wrapping the other hand around her body to hold her close. He kept her head craned so all she could see was the ceiling; completely depleting any vantage she'd have through sight.

Was he going to take her away, continue playing this game, or just use her as leverage to get out?

Either way it would mean he'd won.

She heard Coulson bargaining for her release and that's when Ward confirmed he needed her to get out of the building safely. He didn't specify what came after.

But there was no chance in hell she was going to let him get that far.

She shook. She shook everything. Lights flickered and the full skeleton of the dinosaur crumpled to the ground with a tremendous roar of clattering bones. She let her powers go full throttle so she felt everyone around her stumble and trip and fall.

She was not affected, never was she affected by the direct vibrations of the ground. It had to come from objects falling on her or if she'd purposefully train the powers on herself.

Or Ward grappling to her as he fell.

As he hit the ground she slunk away from him, his writhing body uncontrolled as he attempted to steady himself… just like every other person in there, she came to the realization. She then tried to focus and contain the quaking to the area around Ward.

And he shook and bounded and flipped, pleading with Skye through broken words and looks to have her stop. He couldn't find purchase on anything. His head repeatedly hit the ground near hard enough to knock him out.

Skye watched intently with dark eyes as she fought hard to try and keep control of it. Tremors wracked everywhere else, but they were light now.

Once she saw Ward's eyes had closed, she stopped.

It had never been so easy before. She'd never been able to have such control. But her emotions seemed aligned with her mind somehow, a perfect harmony in the hatred and defeat of the man that kidnapped her. The man that forced her to hate her life as well as herself by dragging her to meet her father in the place where her friend would die and she would be changed, and dragging any other person he'd felt was needed into it along the way.

She didn't know if he was simply knocked out or dead. She found herself slightly shocked when she realized she cared about the difference.

She hoped he was dead.

It was for completely selfish reasons, as she didn't think someone so manipulated as he deserved death. Perhaps prison, but not such finality yet.

Skye just wasn't sure she'd know how to live without fear if he were still breathing.

"Skye," May said with concern, running up to her as Coulson came behind. They'd been delayed by the crowd but it had mostly dispersed now. Bobbi followed up, immediately going to check on Ward. She felt for his pulse.

Skye turned away. She wasn't ready to know just yet.

"Are you ok?" Coulson asked, but his eyes showed that he knew the answer.

_No._

"I'll be ok," she mumbled tiredly as she glanced about at the scene. She'd caused some destruction, but the building wasn't collapsing. So there was that. People seemed uninjured for the most part and with only surface wounds on the other. "Where's the baby?"

Skye spied out Hunter looking over the stroller, but the infant wasn't in his hands. Or crying. Skye walked over with Coulson and May on her heels.

He turned around immediately and held up his hands, almost defensively.

"Whoa, I don't think- you shouldn't-" Hunter began nervously, cutting himself off as he stood near protectively in front of the stroller.

He appeared far more disconcerted than he would on the usual mission. She thought maybe babies just did something to affect his manliness. Or whatever. But he seemed… concerned. Sincerely concerned, even.

Hunter sighed, his expression one of pity. "It's not your fault, Skye."

"What?" Skye mumbled. She tried to glance around the man, but it was though he didn't want Skye to see to child. And what would Skye possibly think was her fault? Oh god, maybe her quakes bumped the stroller a little, or –

_No._

Realization gripped her hard and she gasped, trying to cover it with a hand but her horrified eyes were visible. "W-what… how?"

Hunter grimaced ruefully. "I just don't think she could handle that much… shaking."

Skye tried to breath. It was so hard, her lungs felt like they were filling with cotton and tears forced their way out of her eyes. She fell to her knees as dead weight, nausea and grief pounding into her like a splatter of bullets. She was going to throw up. Because she – she -

She'd killed a baby.

A life. An innocent life that had already been forsaken by the luck of the universe when Ward had gotten her name on a slip of paper. Skye could have helped her. Skye could have given her protection. She was an agent for Christ's sake!

All Skye gave the girl was her last breath.

It was with a disturbing harmony how well laid out Skye's life had been to get her to such a point, as though puzzle pieces had aligned just so that she could not avoid it. Meeting Ward, becoming his obsession, bringing the baby into the picture and landing Skye with uncontrollable and unfathomable powers. Inevitably wrought destruction laid inside of her, only to be unleashed on the purest forms of innocence.

Perhaps this infant's death was a sacrifice, a punishment in trying and possibly succeeding to end a life of a man who'd lost his way so completely. She had at the very least attempted to kill the traitor, and her quakes took the opportunity to take something much more pure, for what does hell have use of another black heart?

Skye's mind was swelling with grief and anger and disbelief, but it felt like an arrow to her heart when she realized Ward hadn't killed anyone during this ordeal. Hadn't hurt a single person. Only Skye was guilty of anything such as destruction. Though Ward might have set and ultimately pushed the first of the dominos, her had been the last to fall and the ensuing chaos was wrought from her wake.

This wasn't fair. Skye'd only been trying to protect herself. Protect _everyone_ that had fallen victim to what the fates had handed her in the form of Grant Ward, the trial that seemed impassable in her life. Truly, Skye had only had the best of intentions.

But so had he, and the road to hell was forged with those.

Perhaps they were both fated to that place.

Coulson was touching her back as she sobbed - and actually screamed, she realized - but she didn't care. Her heart was crippled in grief.

But it was soon that another horror-filled awakening was made clear to the monstrosity that was she:

Skye couldn't control it. This. Herself. An earthquake that would shame Poseidon was coming to accompany the grief her powers stole along with a child, and she knew it would take out the building and the block.

She'd rather die first.

Skye focused inward and turned the quakes on herself.

It hurt and broke her but it was all too easy because she deserved this. It wasn't even just taking the pain away from others, she_ deserved_ this punishment.

And just before she was going to take the easy way out and succumb to darkness, she saw Bobbi pull Ward up from the ground. Unconscious, but in handcuffs. A corpse would have no need of such bindings.

If there was justice in this world, the fate of such clearly had cruel judges.

Though Skye'd been left breathing as well. After what she was and what she'd done, what she'd _caused_.

They were certainly vicious, these judges. Pitiless even.

But Skye could not decide if they were truly unfair.

* * *

**A/n:**

**Warning:** The infant is accidentally killed :(

Killing the baby was one of the harder things I've written because I normally don't write good guy death, and it was a flipping baby? But I feel it was the best route. Then I put another kid in Ward's hands! See, I like it when Ward does this thing where he talks really casual in situations that call for the_ opposite_ of casual, and talking to a kid about sports while there's a mob of people being held hostage seemed like it would do that justice xD

Now, I know Ward seems nuts here but even Skye started to see some of his reasoning. Though I'm still firm on the belief this wasn't excusable, this was not in Ward's POV so like the show, we're not sure how much of what he was insinuating he actually planned on following through or was just trying to scare Skye, show her how much worse he could be. (My mind is leaning towards that considering he believes he would never do this stuff if he wasn't trying to show her a monster.) But feel free to interpret.

Just the epilogue now! And thank you sooooo much for the reviews, I appreciate them so!


	7. Epilogue

**A/n: **I feel like you guys may not have been overly fond of the baby's death (understandable, understandable) but I appreciate the reviews letting me know I did it well! And it was indeed meant to make you feel, so hopefully that worked. This chapter's fairly doom and gloom but I hope it ends alright... let me know. Thank you for following the story!

* * *

**~ Epilogue ~**

**DAY SIX**

It's a haze and she doesn't remember at first, but then she does and the shaking starts before her eyes are even open.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, over and over again to anyone and everyone. "I'm so sorry."

Some say it's not her fault. But even they are skeptical, she knows, because they glance and are wary of her. Sometimes, by Mack's wandering eyes, she thinks he may put her down in her sleep. It would not be unwarranted. Why should she deserve to live when any moment she is around another person she chances their life?

It doesn't help that she can't stop the quakes.

Literally. They have not stopped. They are low, a rumble at the back of the throat of a feral animal.

And they never. Stop.

Coulson knows they have to move her. She cannot stay. A monster doesn't belong here.

* * *

**DAY SEVEN**

She's drugged. She's taken onto the plane unconscious because it's too dangerous to put her on something that flies awake. Even sedated. So she's knocked out.

Coulson flies her to a cabin that is a safe house. He says she can learn to control her powers there without fear of hurting anyone.

So, alone and away from the world, she tries.

* * *

**DAY EIGHTEEN**

Skye tries everything. She tries yoga and tai chi, tea and medicines. Even Simmons' intravenous drugs do not work because she is near unconscious once the doctor gets the dosage where it needs to be for the quakes to stop. Then Skye doesn't remember anything that happened while she was under the influence.

Which is about as good as her being dead.

So Skye doesn't know what it's like for things to not be shaking anymore. It's scary, but it's deserved.

She thinks of Ward sometimes. Is he getting what he deserves? The man was sculpted to be the way he is but the artist was not the one to pull the trigger all those many times, just as the Diviner was not the one to shake an infant until her heart stopped beating.

And while it may be wrongful, her mind divulges into blame at him. She cannot help but blame. For as much as she deserves this rightful accusation, so does he.

She wonders if retribution visits him as it does herself.

* * *

**DAY TWENTY**

Today she recognizes her failing mental state. It is not normal for a mind to fall into dark corners so often as hers does.

But her thoughts are more frequent company than any person visiting her. She can't help that the constant shaking has begun to take its toll on those as well.

* * *

**DAY TWENTY-FIVE**

Simmons makes her gloves. They help quiet the shaking. A little.

Quiet. Not stop.

There are side effects and Skye doesn't like them. They make her feel sick. They make her feel… they feel unnatural.

But she'll live.

* * *

**DAY TWENTY-SIX**

Skye has been begging for them to bring in Ward. And despite their warnings that it is a bad idea, on this day, they do.

Skye has unfinished business with him. She won't use her powers now. She will never again let them rise above the constant undercurrent that they already always are, because she will never hurt an innocent again.

But as much as she is a monster, someone who kills by touch and is a burden to those around her, one innocent could have been spared if _he_ hadn't have brought them there. Hadn't brought the child, killed her parents.

Even if they're both headed to hell she can make sure he goes first.

She holds the stolen gun to Ward's head.

But Coulson was already at arm's length and pulls her back. She misses her shot and May hurries Ward away.

Coulson is quivering from her abilities as he looks at her with terrified eyes. It's all she can focus on. But of course, there is no focus. Not really. Skye suddenly tries to remember what it's like for things around her to not always be moving.

But she'll never know again.

Through the vibrations she can still see her beloved mentor's expression. Horrified. Horrified that a monster would kill a monster, for somehow he has judged her with greater integrity than the other. But as she's proven, she does not have it. Not for those who don't deserve it. Such as _him_.

Such as herself.

It's a mere reflex in response to a whim she probably won't follow through on, but Skye begins to raise the gun to her own head.

Coulson immediately lifts his ICER and she-

* * *

**DAY TWENTY-SEVEN**

"Why can't she stop?" Skye hears Coulson whisper. "I thought she could learn to control it."

"Before she had a prayer to," says May. "But now…"

"It'll pass," Coulson assures. It sounds more like a promise to himself. "Right?"

"Some things never do."

Skye knows how wise May is in this. And she believes her.

"We could… we could make her forget," says Coulson. "Like T.A.H.I.T.I."

"Phil…"

"She'd at least have a chance to figure out her powers."

"If you remember, that didn't go so well for you."

Coulson's voice lowers. "She was trying to kill herself, May."

Skye remains stoic, but the thought jumps beneath her skin. Had she? Tried to kill herself? Of course she had. No one around her deserves what she has to offer. Constant variables and burden and death.

One casualty is too many. One is unacceptable.

She'd had her one. She'd felt it was time to eliminate the problem.

But the word 'accident' rings through her and she wants to live again. She doesn't want to die. She may be a burden, but perhaps she can learn not to be. There is hope.

There was hope.

Yet now there's nothing. The quakes are never ending. Even when she is calm and serene they are there. Grief underlies every waking moment she has and it manifests in the form of her own personal curse that has been set unfairly on anyone around her.

Because she knows in her heart that it's her fault. And as long as she knows this, they will never stop. Her body will never allow her peace when the mind is so aware she deserves every moment of it, so that it reconciles that with the burden of those around her.

Skye doesn't know why they think she can't hear them. But she does. And she decides it's time they knew.

She opens her eyes and begs them to let her forget.

To give her one last chance.

* * *

**DAY TWENTY NINE**

She dreams of the infant. She dreams of the little baby girl she barely knew but would never leave her memories.

She wishes she'd never seen the body. Skye was never as fond of babies' looks as many people (does not one see how much they resemble tiny aliens?) but this one… she had been so pretty, and Skye didn't realize it until she'd been dead.

Skye's dreams only allow the girl in as a flat deflated thing, like a ragdoll thrown into the trash.

It kills her that she can't blame Ward. For as much as he brought her there, was a cause of this, Skye was the one to have completed the deed.

Skye dreams of trying to kill him. Remembers. Yes, remembers, as she realizes she actually _had_ tried to kill him.

She shouldn't have done that. She had no right. Her mind is a tennis match of back and forth when it comes to Ward's deserved punishment and she, in her deteriorated state, never should have tried to be the judge and jury of something in which she can never puzzle out what is the righteous path to take.

So she just wishes she can blame him. But she can't.

Poor, poor baby. If only she could blame –

Wait, who is she to blame?

What… is she blaming them for?

Daisy's death. That's right. There was a baby named Daisy.

Daisy's…

Dai…sy.

Soon her dreams shift, rough and hard like turbulence. It rattles her. Whatever thoughts she had are jostled out of her reach, but she holds onto one. The little girl with dark hair and ivory skin.

Daisy.

* * *

**DAY THIRTY**

She opens her eyes. It's hard and she's in pain and her head feels like it's about to fall off, but she does it.

"Hey, there you are," coos Simmons. "How are you feeling?"

"Mmm ok I guess, for what happened," she says. She looks down and tries to examine herself. All she feels is a headache. "Um… what did happen?"

"Just a bump while you were in the field. Though you were out long enough to give us quite a scare, you should be perfectly fine. Coulson will give you details later."

She smiles. "Alright, sounds good." She pauses. "I'm allowed back in the field?" She'd been… sort of benched since her powers became common knowledge.

"Well, I'm not sure. It didn't seem to go so well," says Simmons. "I'm thinking Coulson will tell you – ah, there he is!"

Coulson walks in with a broad smile, and she can't help but return it.

"Hey," she says.

"Hey Skye, welcome back."

She frowns. "Skye?"

Coulson frowns. "Yeah…"

"You called me Skye."

"I did."

"Why are you calling me Skye?" she asks.

"Because that's your name," he says and she shakes her head.

"No, I'm… I'm Daisy," she tells him. The two hovering over the hospital bed share a look.

"Probably just a side effect," mutters Simmons, but Daisy can hear the worry. "Your father calls you Daisy, if I recall? But you've always referred to yourself as Skye."

Daisy sort of remembers that. The name "Skye" tugs at her… and if it's only her father who refers to her that way she's not sure why she would feel such a fondness at the name. She doesn't like that man.

"Right, sorry," says Dai - Skye.

"What is the last thing you remember?" Simmons asks, probably all worried now that she got her name wrong. That's not normal, right? Daisy doesn't think that's normal. (Skye!)

"Um, I guess… Hunter and Bobbi taking point on that lead in London."

Simmons smiles. Apparently that was the right answer.

"And what do you remember… about Ward?" Simmons hesitantly asks.

Dai… Skye frowns. "Ward was involved?" she asks quietly.

She's a little more scared than she usually would be with bringing him up. Usually it just lights a fire. But somehow it clenches in her gut, and unfortunately, the room begins to tremor.

"Not directly," Coulson steps forward when Simmons looks a little nervous about the quakes. She always does, though. "But unfortunately he's been seen recently."

Skye blows the bangs away from her head in a half-peeved half-upset sigh. "So. Putting four holes in the guy didn't stop him either…"

"But that's the last time you remember seeing him?" Simmons urges, and Skye nods.

"Is that bad?" she asks.

"No, it's fantastic actually," Simmons says, as though she's proud of something. Daisy isn't sure what.

Coulson puts a hand on her shoulder and tells her something about getting her back to her room (currently the Cage) to relax and unwind. She decides to play Operation. Coulson has good timing and comes in just when she can't get the anklebone. Tells her it's the toughest.

"You and I need to take a ride," he says.

"Ok… but why am I starting to feel like old Yeller right now?"

Coulson says something about how he's surprised she knows that reference, and she laughs. She feels good. She realizes she hasn't felt good in a while, these powers weighing her down more than she realized.

She doesn't mind so much when he takes her to the cabin. Because he's Coulson and he's trying to help.

But she's not so sure that she's Skye anymore. The name rings a little false when people call her that. After her initial confusion from waking up she remembers the familiarity with Skye, but it's as though talking about a close friend. Not her directly. "Daisy" surfaces her memories more frequently than she can understand why.

And Skye's not sure what it means or why it's happening, but she thinks a change may be coming.

* * *

**DAYS BEYOND**

So Grant had been wrong. Skye would kill him.

That was pretty much the best occurrence to galvanize him, get him motivation and get out of there. He took their jet, though he's pretty certain S.H.I.E.L.D. would have gotten it back by now. He left it for them to find. (Right now he needs under the radar more than that giant thing.)

It was amazingly easy to take. But Ward saw the shock in May's eyes when her protégée steadied a shaking weapon on Ward. It was the first time he'd seen the agent's eyes blurred with distraction and he took his chance.

So now, just like that, Skye's nothing but a blip in the past.

He gave it the old college try to make Skye understand. She clearly never will. With the knowledge that Skye and him are something that can never be, the feelings are easier to move passed than anything he's ever attempted before.

When he meets up with 33 again he explains the failed happening. That he's over it already. He decides to help the woman that seems so willing to do so, that cleaned up the bullet wounds Skye left him with in the first place.

When 33 tries to be Skye for him he pushes her away, because that's over. He doesn't want the consolation prize. He tells 33 that they can be together, but as her.

It is not love, though. She is not what he would have had with Skye. She is convenience.

So he helps 33 and she becomes a shapeshifter.

She's going to be beneficial, an asset, and he'll help her along the way. He _likes_ helping her. They can be partners even if she needs him to be the leader for now.

He lies to her about some things, because that makes her accommodating. It makes her happy too. He'd promised not to lie to Skye and he wishes he never had. She was so much happier living in the lies.

But 33 at least gets him. They do what they need to do. They take out the unknown variables because that's how to make things happen in your favor. Shoot first, questions later. It's simple and it works.

If only he could have made Skye see that. If only she would have listened to him, she wouldn't have to be so miserable. But that was her choice, and as he now knows she would never understand him, completely not his problem.

Ward believes he is in a better place than Skye. He knows who he is. Somehow, being locked in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s basement had done something for him because once he came out his head was clear. Mostly. It was clear of Garrett's manipulation. For a time he transferred those leftover emotions to an obsession with Skye. Now that he knows they can never be he is really, truly, free.

He is a leader. In charge of his own life and now in charge of his new companion.

Skye is lost. Grappling at powers and her own tainted purity that she does not understand. Ward is good at reading people, but no longer Skye. Because she does not know herself.

He mourns somewhat for the little girl he initially saved that got caught in the crossfire and wishes Skye would have just listened to him. The girl would be alive, then.

That is why he must lead or be on even-ground with people he interacts with. He knows his worth now.

So when Coulson comes to him asking for help he accepts and he does it for his own reasons and terms. They are a team, but he will not be a subordinate anymore.

And if there does come a time when he sees Skye again he will not grovel or beg for her understanding, they are equals and they will be on equal ground.

So long as she does not shake it beneath his feet.

* * *

**A/n:** I wanted to end it on a note where it is compatible with the show.

Given that Skye has realized her parents aren't horrible monsters, I'm guessing she will be taking on the name "Daisy" in some shape or form eventually. I also believe she will never be the same SHIELD agent, and that's why I ended her part that way. Change is imminent with Skye.

Ward I believe is learning how to become his own man. I like him being an anti-hero, but if he helps Coulson and does everything the right way to get on the road to redemption, that sounds great too! I just hope he sticks around… (I just love the character).

PS- Anyone notice that I wrote the epilogue in a different tense? It just felt more fitting more the style, somehow…

Anyway, thank you for reading all the reviews! I'd love to know what you think of the end. The next story I post will be a short AoS/Daredevil crossover, so look out for that if interested and not frequenting the crossover section!


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